


Against All Odds

by Celestial_Shadow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Prison, Blood, Drug Dealer Bokuto Koutarou, Drug Dealer Kuroo Tetsurou, Drug Dealer Tendou Satori, Established Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, M/M, None of the characters actually take drugs, Prison guard Daichi Sawamura, Pro Volleyball Player Ushijima Wakatoshi, References to Drugs, Serial Killer Akaash Keiji, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 31,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24574900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestial_Shadow/pseuds/Celestial_Shadow
Summary: Never in his life would Akaashi have thought he’d end up here.He was a straight-A student, well behaved, adored by everyone, studying law.How ironic for him to end up in prison.There was no way he could stay here though. He was going to get out, whether it cost him his life or not.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 121
Kudos: 335





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the prison depicted here is fictional. It is a mix of research from American/Japanese prisons. This does not accurately represent real prison life.

Never in his life would Akaashi have thought he’d end up here.

He was a straight-A student, well behaved, adored by everyone, studying law.

How ironic for him to end up in prison.

He couldn’t lie and say it was an accident. It wasn’t. Even though everyone regarded him as the perfect, proper gentleman, he was anything but. 

Ever since young, there was a craving for blood. Watching it spill out onto the ground, crimson covering everything in its path. Seeing the life drain out of his victim’s eyes. It gave him a rush better than any drug could ever. 

People say he should have known better, studying law and all. But they don’t know that he did know better. He only got caught for two murders, and was sentenced to prison for life. 

Only two. Ha, the police department was a joke. If they knew how many he actually committed, he would have received a death penalty immediately. 

It was funny how riled up they got over him. How angry the officers were when they tried to interrogate him. He knew they wanted him to lose composure, give any indication of remorse, fear, anything. His stone cold exterior infuriated them to no end, and it was absolutely gratifying to see.

The loud sound of a buzzer and the door opening shook Akaashi out of his thoughts. The guards who had been walking him to his cell had stopped to open the door. He eyed his surroundings carefully. Everything was grey. The walls, the floor, the ceiling was all a dull grey concrete colour. 

The Japanese government really should be more uptight on their security. There were only two guards with him at the moment. With one guard distracted opening the door, he could easily get out of their grip, and knock over the other one to escape, even with his hands handcuffed behind his back. He wouldn't though. It was futile, and too easy.

Where's the fun in such an easy victory?

They walked him over to his cell. A small square of space with two beds on opposite sides of the room, a toilet, and a sink. So he would have a roommate. How bothersome.

Akaashi liked his peace and quiet. He silently hoped that his cell mate wouldn’t be a problem.

“You got half an hour till your cell mate comes back.” The guard said gruffly, sliding the door cell door closed and locking it. Akaashi regarded him with a blank stare. The guard twisted his mouth in annoyance before turning around and walking away. 

Akaashi sat down on one of the beds, distantly thinking about his latest victim. He idly wondered if they were going to find his other murders, and if they would be able to connect them to him. A small smile appeared on his face as he remembered his victim’s choking gasps, their eyes wild with fear as blood coated the floor. His fingers twitched as he began playing with them. 

It was surprisingly easy to attain ketamine to "sedate" his victims. The first few times he overshot the dose and they died quickly. Too quickly to have any fun with. After that he got the doses right though. It didn’t take very long to master the art of kidnapping someone. A simple chokehold takes a few seconds to render them unconscious, and then a high dose of ketamine would knock them out for longer, allowing him to drag them back to his car and bring them home, all the while pretending to support a tired, drunk friend.

Before long, the door opened to signal his roommate’s arrival. A short guy with bleached hair going down to his chin. His shoulders were hunched inwards, eyes downcast. He didn’t seem intimidating at all. When he looked up to meet Akaashi’s gaze, Akaashi noted the golden, cat-like eyes. They were slightly unsettling, like they could see into your soul. It was only a second though. The latter turned away almost immediately, hair falling in front of his face to shield his eyes as he sat down on the bed opposite of Akaashi.

The guards were still outside, likely there to ensure that they didn’t kill each other within five seconds of meeting.

They sat in silence for a good minute or so, simply observing, assessing the other. 

He didn’t seem like a threat at all. In fact, he almost seemed… scared. Akaashi knew better though, he never underestimates a person based on appearances. 

“What’s your name?” Akaashi asked, his gaze boring into the other. 

“Kozume Kenma.” The other man mumbled, voice barely audible, “I go by Kenma.” Akaashi saw him fist the sheets. Akaashi held his breath, watching for any indication that Kenma would whip out a hidden weapon or something, but it never came. 

“Akaashi Keiji.” 

“Hm?”

“My name. Akaashi Keiji.” Akaashi clenched his jaw. Why was he even bothering with introductions? It’s not like Kenma was particularly eager to talk. 

Kenma surprised him when he asked, “what are you in for?”

“... murder.” 

“Oh. I hacked into the government system.” 

So, Kenma was skilled with technology. That was good information to file away for later. Akaashi’s lips twitched up into a small smile. So small it was almost unnoticeable. Kenma seemed to have caught it though, for he returned a small smile of his own. He was observant.

“Interesting. Not an easy feat.” Akaashi commented nonchalantly, examining the monotonous grey of the cell, noting cracks and discoloration on the concrete. 

“I suppose not.” Kenma murmured. They fell into a relatively easy silence for two strangers. Akaashi was secretly grateful that his cell-mate was quiet and seemed to mind his own business.

It’s been about two months since Akaashi’s committed his most recent murder. His fingers twitched, playing with each other as he felt the urge to kill again. 

It irked him greatly to be in here. In his tiny 7x7 square foot room. Everything was on a strict schedule. One step out of line and there would be punishment. There was no such thing as freedom here. 

He needed to escape.

It would take a long time. Most likely several months of silent, well thought out planning.

He would only have one chance. If he failed the first time, they would make sure he never got out again.

He started thinking in his head. Would it be possible to get outside help? If he could get someone outside to help him, it would make it easier to create a mind map of how the prison functioned. How guarded it was, where the common exits and entrances were, and maybe they could sneak him a few tools he could use to escape. 

Akaashi’s thoughts were interrupted by the loud scraping noise of the door opening. Two guards stood outside menacingly. 

“Dinner. Line up, inmates 12081 and 12223.” One guard snapped, holding out his arm to guide them in the direction to go. He held onto a baton in the other, his steely gaze fixated on the both of them.

Akaashi lined up behind Kenma as a long line of prisoners were marched towards the mess hall.

As they entered the cafeteria and lined up to get food, Akaashi looked around to gauge the scene. Tables and chairs that were all stationary lined the room in rows. It was filled with numerous inmates, which in itself made Akaashi feel on edge. People were seemingly grouped at random. There were no defining features separating specific groups, although people sitting together seemed to get along. They were talking to each other, passing jokes and discussing various other topics.

Akaashi eyed Kenma warily. The latter had given no indication that he knew anyone else here, but surely he must have a group or at least a spot in this mess. No one else seemed to approach Kenma, so Akaashi figured he may be a loner. 

“May I sit with you for now?” Akaashi asks as politely as he could. He needed to stay on Kenma’s good side, if he was going to share a cell with him. 

Kenma eyed him for a long moment, before shrugging and gesturing his head to an empty table near the corner of the room, “that’s where I usually sit.” 

Akaashi bows his head slightly as thanks, following Kenma after they grab their portions of food to sit at the table.

Admittedly, there were probably better options depending on what impression Akaashi wanted to make here. He could try to integrate himself into the big groups, but that always posed a big risk for retaliation, and he was not the kind of person to make a big show of himself. He liked to stay silent, quiet in the shadows, only striking when it was lethal and necessary. 

In this case, it would be to lay low, to hide in the shadows and be unnoticable. Drawing attention to himself would only make it harder to escape this wretched place. 

He was about to dig into his food - which seemed rather plain but it didn’t matter much to him - when a loud, booming voice interrupted his actions.

“Hey hey hey! What do we have here?” 

Just as Akaashi was about to look up to see what the commotion was, a large pair of hands slammed down onto their table, making both Kenma and Akaashi flinch.

Were these people Kenma’s friends? Had Akaashi made an error in his analysis? His gaze travelled up, following the- rather strong -forearms to a face with wide golden eyes, and a ridiculously large smile. His bouffant hair was spiked up. White-grey with black streaks. 

A few seconds was all it took for Akaashi to determine his odds. 

He’d probably get brutally destroyed in a physical conflict. This man was big, and strong. … And loud. To be able to strut around like this and not have anyone tell him off must mean he held a rather high position in these prison rankings.

Kenma was tensed, his hair covering his face once again, curled in on himself. Not friends then, Akaashi noted. 

His gaze snapped to movement behind the man who barged up to them. He had two companions. Both of them had equally weird hair. What was this, the weird hair club?

The one on the right had spiky, bright red hair with large, downturned eyes. Like Kenma’s, there was an unsettling feeling being under the gaze of this man. 

The one on the left had jet black hair that spiked up partially. It looked like he never brushed his hair in the morning. Although, combs were a little more difficult to come by in prison. His hazel, cat like eyes were also rather analytical. He had a sinister vibe. Not evil, but more… sly. They both had sly appearances, but the one in the middle seemed more like a hyperactive child.

This was not what he signed up for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally none of this is edited. Ngl I have no idea what I'm doing, but enjoy!

Bokuto Koutarou had never seen a prettier man in his life.

He was doing the usual as he sat at his table in the cafeteria, watching as the line of inmates shuffled in to get their food. There had been rumours that there was going to be a new inmate today, which excited Bokuto, but it was unlikely he would be able to pick them out among hundreds of inmates who he could not be bothered to remember. 

Beside him sat Kuroo, his best friend and ultimate partner in crime, They got arrested together, but unfortunately weren’t able to stay in the same cell, since the prison was worried they would have too much time to plot an escape or something. On his other side was Tendou. 

Bokuto knew Tendou from before. They were all a part of the same group. They all sold illegal drugs as part of a huge organization. It was fun; thrilling. None of them took drugs themselves, which usually wasn’t the case in their “family”, since being addicted would ensure your loyalty to the family. However, all three of them genuinely enjoyed their jobs, so their higher ups reluctantly allowed them to refuse. They yielded good results, and that was all that mattered.

Tendou was arrested later, and had a shorter sentence than Bokuto and Kuroo. Tendou was only caught for possession of illegal substances, but the police were unable to connect him to the bigger organization, so his sentence was lighter.

It was unfortunate, really. The only reason Bokuto and Kuroo were here was because one of their customers was unable to make their payment, and when they threatened the client, she got flaky and ratted them out to the police. 

“Hey, that’s the new guy. We should go say hi.” Bokuto nudged Kuroo, gesturing vaguely to a slender male with black hair. Kuroo furrowed his eyebrows.

“How can you tell? I don’t remember half of these people.”

“Hah? Come on bro, he’s the super pretty one with curly black hair.” Bokuto took another look, “He’s standing behind Kenma.” 

Kuroo’s eyes immediately zeroed onto the boy with bleach blond hair. His gaze lingered for a moment before moving over to the man behind him. He was quite pretty, Kuroo supposed.

“Why do we gotta say hi to _this_ one specifically? We don’t do this for most of the new ones.” Kuroo groaned, not wanting to get out of his seat. 

“Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a more beautiful being? He’s probably perfect in every way.” Bokuto sighed, and Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Oh? Bokuto-kun’s got his eye one someone?” Tendou piped up, tilting his head curiously, “I don’t see any harm in saying hi.” 

Kuroo let out a reluctant huff, eyeing the new guy once again, only to notice that he had sat down at a table. _Kenma’s table._

They were _interacting._ Kuroo had never seen Kenma interact with anyone willingly. He was always alone. Unapproachable. A sudden surge of annoyance rushed through him. Why was this new guy suddenly able to talk to Kenma? 

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go over and say hi.” Kuroo gritted out. Tendou shot him a knowing look, his eyebrows raised teasingly. Bokuto perked up, getting up immediately and marching over to the table with Kuroo and Tendou behind him.

“Hey hey hey! What do we have here?”

Kuroo cringed internally at Bokuto’s loud announcement. The latter had slammed his hands down on the table. Loudly. Kuroo silently hoped that this new guy wasn’t easy to anger, because whatever Bokuto just did could definitely be taken as a challenge.

This new guy turned to face them. His features were pretty, sure, but Kuroo didn’t like his face. There was no emotion. It was like a blank slate, despite basically being jumpscared by Bokuto a few seconds ago. He would be good at hiding things, and Kuroo would have to keep an eye out for that.

“You’re new here, right? I’m Bokuto. This is Kuroo, and that’s Tendou! Nice to meet you.” Bokuto grinned, watching for any reaction. The other man bowed his head slightly as a greeting.

“I’m Akaashi. Nice to meet you all.” He replied, sparing a split second glance at Kenma, who was still trying to make himself as small as possible. _Yeah, these were definitely not Kenma’s friends._ Akaashi thought to himself.

Which means these guys were likely one of the high ranking groups in this prison. The ones who were respected and “in charge”. 

These were the people not to mess with.

“So! Akashi-” Bokuto started.

“It’s Akaashi.”

“Right, Akaashi. So, how’d you get in here?” Bokuto’s eyes were wide with eagerness, shining with curiosity.

“Yeah, how’d you get in here? Oh! Let me guess, I’m good at guessing.” Tendou chirped, pausing for a moment to examine Akaashi.

“Hmm… Tax evasion? Fraud? I feel like you were a scholar. Finance?” Tendou tilted his head from side to side, his eyes blinking owlishly. 

“Murder.” Akaashi deadpans, his face seeming almost bored with the situation.

Bokuto, Tendou, and Kuroo all reared back in shock, although Kuroo’s was a lot more subtle.

“Ehhhh? Murder?” Tendou’s brows furrowed in disbelief. 

Bokuto’s eyes were wide, frantically scanning Akaashi. A murderer? Nothing about this man pointed to him being a murderer- well, other than his thoughtful, quiet demeanor. Or the fact that he was very good at hiding his emotions- and yeah okay maybe murder was an option.

Bokuto was secretly a little intimidated with this information. Most of the other inmates here were because of theft, tax evasion, and drug possession. There were a few murderers, but they always stayed by themselves, and were extremely hostile. None of them were even close to being as pretty as Akaashi. 

Nothing about him even screamed "criminal". There were no tattoos, piercings, nothing wild like his hair, and he even spoke so respectfully, so nicely. His hands looked smooth and untouched, like he'd never done any hard labour in his life, let alone take a life. 

His eyes were a beautiful dark blue. Not often fully opened, only adding to his nonchalant demeanor. He seemed so proper, like a gentleman. 

It kinda blew Bokuto's mind. 

“Kenma, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Kuroo.” Akaashi overheard Kuroo introducing himself to Kenma, who looked at the man warily.

“I know.” 

“You- you do?” 

“Of course. No one hasn’t heard of the terrifying trio here.” Kenma murmured softly, eyes darting over to Bokuto and Tendou.

Akaashi wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but Kuroo seemed to deflate, just a tiny bit. 

Something was a little weird here. Akaashi didn’t exactly like what was happening.

He was supposed to lay low, and not draw attention to himself. Yet, here he was, interacting with one of the top groups in this prison. Why had they taken such an interest anyway? It wasn’t like they knew Kenma, if Kuroo’s introduction was anything to go by. 

Did they greet every new inmate like this?

That’s a terrifying thought. To be able to keep track of every single person here.

However… they didn’t know Kenma, so there was no way they were doing that.

Which means there was a reason they introduced themselves to Akaashi specifically.

Akaashi exhaled slowly before lifting his head to stare directly at Bokuto, who seemed to be the ... “leader” of this group.

“So, what business did you have here?” Akaashi gave no indication of any emotion, neither hostility nor friendliness. He did not want to give this group the wrong impression, but he also wanted them to leave him alone.

“Well- we just wanted to say hi, that’s all.” Bokuto sputtered. 

“I see, and you say hi to every new inmate here?” 

“Uh-” 

“How do you know Kenma?” Kuroo interrupted, and Akaashi felt a spark of annoyance at having the conversation cut short, but he turned to face Kuroo anyway.

“Cellmates.” 

“Oh, cool.” Kuroo nodded absentmindedly. 

“Line up! Time to work!” A guard barked loudly, garnering the attention of the prisoners. Everyone slowly shuffled into their lines. They exited in groups. Akaashi, Tendou, Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma were among the last to leave. 

“Inmate 19789. Phonecall.” One of the guards spoke towards them. Tendou perked up, a smile on his face.

“Ah~ Wakatoshi-kun must be here!” He grinned, heading over to a different door, two guards following closely behind. 

“Phone call?” Akaashi murmured to himself.

“Tendou’s boyfriend! Ushijima-san. He’s a pro volleyball player. It’s really cool-” Bokuto’s mouth shut so fast Akaashi heard the click of his teeth snap together. “Ah, shit. I-”

"... Boyfriend?" Akaashi asks quietly, his gaze on the floor.

"Yeah. Boyfriend. Got a problem with that?" Kuroo narrows his eyes, crossing his arms. Akaashi side eyes him.

"No." He says before turning and walking away.

"Oi! I'm serious. You better not have a problem with-'' Kuroo strides over and grips Akaashi's arm roughly. He's cut off by Akaashi grabbing him and slamming him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Akaashi pins Kuroo's arms behind his back and digs his knee into Kuroo's spine, making the latter grunt as he attempts to subtly get his breath back.

"Don't. Touch me." Akaashi hissed venomously in Kuroo's ear before releasing his hold and walking away, trying to distance himself from the group. Kuroo gets up, wincing in pain. He glanced at Bokuto.

"Why didn't you help me?"

"Holy shit dude I'm so sorry." Bokuto's eyes are wide, his face tinged red. Kuroo groaned. 

"Fuck. You thought that was hot of him, didn't you?" 

Bokuto's cheeks blaze red suddenly.

"I- well- uh-"

Kuroo rolls his eyes.

"Aw come on! You can't deny that it wasn't impressive at least. He just took you down so easily, and you're like double his size." 

"I'm really not, but I will admit I was not expecting him to attack me so easily." Kuroo grumbles. His pride was wounded. Torn to shreds and left scattered on the floor. He cursed internally that for that few minutes, all the guards had exited the cafeteria. As soon as Akaashi stepped away, a guard entered the cafeteria, barking at them to line up. 

“Are you okay?” A soft voice spoke beside him. Kuroo turned to look at Kenma. He winced internally at the thought that Kenma just witnessed him get brutally destroyed by Akaashi.

“Yes, thanks.” Kuroo sent a soft smile to Kenma, who nodded, glancing down towards the floor as they lined up to head to work.

Folding paper bags for 2 hours. Fun.


	3. Chapter 3

Akaashi couldn’t believe he just did that.

He basically just _body slammed_ Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurou. One of the “terrifying trio” as Kenma had said. 

There was no way he could lay low now, could he? Kuroo must be part of the top dogs here, and he really had just aggravated him. 

It wasn’t even like Akaashi had any allies here yet. He just met Kenma, and Bokuto and Tendou were obviously on Kuroo’s side. 

What if Kuroo decided to launch an attack on him after for revenge? What if he got Bokuto and Tendou to gang up on him too? They were all taller and probably stronger than him, there was no chance he would survive if they all came at him at once.

Akaashi took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself as he lined up at the back of the line. A couple of inmates eyed him warily, as they had just witnessed what he had done. Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma were all at the front of the line. 

They were herded into a small room, brown paper was stacked on one end of the table. 

They formed an assembly line and were ordered to fold parts of the paper, passing them along, to eventually create paper bags. 

Akaashi stood at one end of the line while Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma were all on the other side. He focused on his task wholeheartedly, not wanting to dwell too much into his thoughts. 

He would just be forced to keep his guard up. Watch for any indications of aggravation. He would also likely have to find a new place to sit, since his association with Kenma might have them using Kenma to lure him into a trap of some sort. 

Hopefully Kenma wouldn’t be against him too much, and simply not bother with him when they were alone in their shared cell. 

Akaashi was just glad that momentarily, none of the guards had been there to witness anything. 

It didn’t seem like Kuroo was going to tell on him either, or he likely would already have done so. 

The pure fear that shot through him in that instant that Kuroo had grabbed his arm… It made Akaashi uncomfortable. He should be in control of his emotions. He should have acted calmly. 

They had to work for two hours straight, and honestly Akaashi was thankful for the quiet time to calm down after what had happened. The room was filled with only the sound of crinkling and folding paper, and the occasional remark from Bokuto, who was quickly silenced by the guards.

That was another thing.

Even though the guards were quick to silence him, they appeared to be a little more lenient with Bokuto in terms of… sound. Perhaps they had just accepted that he was a loud person? Or was he _that_ influential that the guards didn’t go full force on him?

After work they were all herded into their cells and roll call was taken. Akaashi sat on his bed, warily eyeing Kenma who lay opposite him on his bed.

“What’s the matter?” Kenma spoke quietly, looking at Akaashi, who let out a sharp exhale. All this worrying was making him lose touch. He shouldn’t have been caught staring.

“Nothing.” He replied simply, turning to lay down on his own bed. They were locked in their cells for the rest of the night, but Akaashi didn’t want to sleep until he was sure Kenma was asleep out of fear that he would retaliate for Kuroo.

“If you’re worried about Kuroo, don’t be. He’s not interested in revenge.” Kenma stated. Akaashi turned to face him, eyes narrowed skeptically.

“His pride is wounded, but he’ll get over it. He’s not prone to violence.” 

“How do you know this?” Akaashi asked suspiciously. This evening Kenma didn’t even know Kuroo. Now he spoke as if he had known him his whole life? This had to be some sort of ploy. 

“I may not know Kuroo very well personally, but in my entire time here he has never started a fight. If anything they’re more protective of each other than bent on getting revenge, so if you’re _really_ worried, it would be Bokuto or Tendou coming after you,” Kenma’s eyes were alight in amusement as he saw the panic set in on Akaashi’s face.

“Don’t worry. Bokuto’s not keen on revenge either. Tendou doesn’t know yet, but if both Kuroo and Bokuto are cool with it, then he’s not going to go through all the trouble.” 

Akaashi stayed silent, still debating on whether this was a trap or not. 

“If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to stick around them, but I feel like you’d be welcome into their group if you wanted to be.” 

“Why are you telling me this? What benefits are you getting out of it?” 

“Nothing? You seem like a pretty okay person to be around. You’re quiet, for the most part. It would suck if you started hating me over something trivial.” Kema replied. Akaashi sat up in surprise.

“What? Why would I hate you?”

“Worried that I would side with them if they wanted revenge. I don’t need to create rifts between me and my cellmate. That’s just asking for trouble.”

Akaashi mentally berated himself for being so shaken up over this event. He needed to calm down and start thinking clearly. He sent a nod to Kenma before laying back down on his bed.

“Goodnight, Kenma.” 

“Goodnight, Akaashi.” 

Despite that, Akaashi still stayed up until he believed that Kenma was asleep. 

The night gave him more time to think clearly. It was quiet, there was no task set upon him like there was during work. He relaxed and listened to his surroundings. The low hum of a television program, the gentle (and not so gentle) snores of the other inmates, rustling of cloth from those who were still awake but resting. Occasionally there was the footsteps of the guards walking by, their bright flashlight flickering. 

It was far from quiet, but it was similar to white noise, and slowly it lulled Akaashi to sleep.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

A loud rattling noise awoke Akaashi. He blinked blearily, trying to open his eyes that were still sticky with sleep. His back ached a little, with the beds providing minimal comfort. He saw correctional officers walking by, pausing at each cell to peer inside. A bright light shone inside his cell for a few moments, causing him to squint, not used to the sudden influx of light. 

Soon enough, the retreating footsteps could be heard after the light was removed, only to pause at the next cell over.

 _They’re doing counts._ Akaashi thought to himself, relaxing slightly. There was no immediate sense of danger, and it was still dark, so he estimated it must be the middle of the night. Kenma hadn’t appeared to move, so Akaashi supposed he was still asleep. 

Akaashi lay there for a while, trying to go back to sleep. It wasn’t easy to adjust to prison life. He certainly didn’t appreciate being awoken in the middle of the night after already not getting much sleep, but he had to play along if he wanted to get out of here.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

Akaashi was once again awoken a few hours later by the sound of keys jangling next to his cell. This time he just rolled over and buried his face into the bed to avoid the blinding light that entered the cell momentarily. The small window in the cell showed some light peeking through, and Akaashi determined that it must be around sunrise, or just before sunrise. They would be awoken soon anyway. 

He contemplated whether it was worth it to go back to sleep or not, but before he could mull over it for too long, his body decided for him and he was pulled into a light doze.

He was awoken for the third time by the harsh cacophony of batons clanging against the cell doors. 

A quick glance at the window indicated that it was not long after sunrise. The guards barked out the order to make their beds. They started from one end of the hall, taking prisoners out in groups. 

After making his bed, Akaashi did some simple stretches, trying to ease the ache in his muscles from the poor sleeping conditions. Kenma did the same before waiting patiently for their turn to go who knows where.

It didn’t take long for the guards to herd the group of them to the showers. It was more like a giant communal bathroom. They were told they’d have 15 minutes for any preparation they wanted before the day started.

Akaashi took the time to brush his teeth and splash some water on his face. There were no luxuries here. Of course, you could work up to buying things like face lotion and all that, but since Akaashi had just arrived, he had nothing. 

After that, they were allotted free time for those who didn’t have to work shifts for that block. Akaashi had some free time for that morning, so he decided to go over to the prison yard for some exercise. Although he was not the most keen on wandering around on his own, Kenma had to work for the time being, and he didn’t want to just sit around in his cell the whole time.

Akaashi hadn’t seen Bokuto, Kuroo, nor Tendou this morning, and he was secretly grateful for it. 

“Hey hey Akaashi!” 

… Speak of the devil.

Akaashi managed to school his features into a blank state just before he turned around.

“Hello, Bokuto-san.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support on the first 3 chapters! I really wasn't expecting any attention. Hope you guys enjoy :)
> 
> Edit: Changed some of the dialogue because looking back I really didn't like the way I characterized Bokuto here. Hopefully it's a bit better :)

Akaashi regarded Bokuto with a stoic face, but inside his mind was racing.

Was he here to get revenge for Kuroo? Was this planned? Were the others hiding around a corner?

“You gonna work out?” Bokuto asked, a wide grin on his face.

Akaashi cleared his throat, “yes, I was… going to run.”

“Oh cool! I was going to work out too. Is it okay if I join you?”

“I suppose so.” Akaashi murmured, regretting his choice immediately. Really, he should avoid associating himself with Bokuto and his group as much as possible.

On the other hand, no one seemed keen on messing with him when Bokuto and the others were around, so that was a benefit.

“Great! I can run at your pace. It’s your first time right? Since you came yesterday? Or at least, yesterday was the first time I saw you.” Bokuto blabbered on, his voice basically a constant.

“Kuroo and Tendou not with you today?”

“Oh, not right now. Tendou didn’t really feel like working out right now, and Kuroo’s working.”

“Kuroo’s working too, huh.” Akaashi hummed, noting the coincidental coinciding shifts of Kenma and Kuroo’s work.

“Too?” Bokuto tilted his head as they started a light jog around the yard. As they exercised, Akaashi noted how there were a few other inmates who were also exercising.

“Ah, Kenma-san is also working right now.” Akaashi replied. Bokuto suddenly let out a loud laugh.

“Ah yes, of course he is.”

Akaashi glanced at Bokuto out of the corner of his eye curiously, but chose not to say anything. He shouldn’t pry into others’ business. It would only bring him trouble.

“You see, Kuroo’s good friends with one of the guards, Sawamura. Usually we wouldn’t know any of their names, but Sawamura is pretty nice. He’s strict, but he’s fair, and isn’t keen on physical force like some of the other guards. Kuroo managed to ask Sawamura for some of the same shifts as Kenma.” Bokuto continued anyway.

“Did he now?” Akaashi replied quietly. What did Kuroo want with Kenma? First it was the whole introduction thing, and now he was trying to get the same work shifts as him? There was definitely something suspicious happening. Akaashi wasn’t sure whether to be suspicious of Kuroo or Kenma though. Maybe both.

“Oh! Oh no. I’m not supposed to say anything. Please don’t tell him or Kenma that I’ve said that. I’m not great at keeping secrets.” Bokuto grumbled, his mouth downturned into a frown. Akaashi secretly filed this information away for later. Bokuto wasn’t someone to disclose classified information to.

“I won’t.” Akaashi replied, seeing Bokuto’s body relax from the tension it was holding.

They stopped running soon after that, Akaashi not wanting to tire himself out entirely before the day even started.

Bokuto asked Akaashi if he would spot him for some push ups, to which Akaashi hesitantly agreed.

Bokuto around 30 push ups before he decided to stop, grinning and thanking Akaashi for helping him with his warm up.

_Warm up?_ Akaashi thought incredulously, _that was a full on work out._

After the short leisure time for those who weren’t working, they were called to line up for breakfast.

“Do you wanna sit with us?” Bokuto asked Akaashi as they lined up. Akaashi hesitated for a moment. He was still rather wary of Bokuto and his group, and he really _did not_ want to see Kuroo today, but there was no sign of Kenma anywhere. What if Bokuto thought he was rude if he refused?

“Okay.” Akaashi replied, keeping his face stoic. Bokuto sent him a big smile and they walked over to Bokuto’s usual table. Tendou joined them not long after, sending his eccentric greetings to Akaashi.

Bokuto chattered while they began to ate their food, with Tendou piping in occasionally. How Bokuto never managed to run out of things to say astounded Akaashi.

“Yo.” Kuroo interrupted them, taking a seat at the table. Kenma stood hesitantly behind him before slowly taking a seat as well.

“Ah! Kenma’s here too.” Bokuto grinned. Kenma sent a small nod of greeting to everyone at the table.

While Bokuto and Kuroo went back and forth trading banter, Akaashi idly thought about the change in plans to escape. Now that he was integrated into this group in particular, he likely had more power than before, but that also likely meant that everyone would be keeping a closer eye on him.

It still irked Akaashi that he never figured out why they took such an interest in him on the first day. He contemplated asking, but it felt a little awkward now that they so easily welcomed him. It may be taken as a challenge or an accusation, and the last thing Akaashi needed right now was conflict.

They also seemed to accept Kenma rather quickly into the group as well. Did they originally want to integrate Kenma into their circle or was he just an addition because he was with Akaashi when they met?

It was all rather suspicious when you looked at it properly. In prison, most people wanted you because you could do something for them, whether that be drugs, favours with the guards, cigarettes, etc. However… Akaashi could offer them none of that. He didn’t have connections with anyone outside. His parents certainly wouldn’t talk to him, and he had no siblings or close friends who would be willing to come to his aid.

He would just have to keep his guard up.

“I’m just _saying_ that by technical classifications, a hot dog should be a sandwich.” Akaashi was pulled out of his thoughts by Bokuto’s outburst.

“What are you talking about? A hot dog only has one bun. Therefore it has to be a taco.” Kuroo refuted.

“It's _sandwiched_ on both sides! It's a sandwich.” Bokuto declared, crossing his arms.

“Kenma, Tendou, Akaashi. Back me up here.” Kuroo sighed.

“Taco.” Kenma said.

“Taco.” Tendou agreed.

Bokuto turned hopefully to Akaashi.

“By technical classification, a taco would be closer, Bokuto-san.”

“Agaashhheeee. I thought you were on my side.” Bokuto whined. Akaashi sends a small smile to Bokuto.

“Hell yeah! Told you.” Kuroo smirked.

“Shut up. Don't even start when you argued that tea is a soup last week.”

“Technically it is!”

“No it's not!”

“Well well! Let's not get too into that debate or we'll be here for the next century.” Tendou chuckled. Bokuto pouted a little, before going back to his food.

“Y’know what? When we get out of here I’ll prove to you that tea is a soup. I will change your mind.” Kuroo declared.

_When they get out of here?_ Akaashi thought. That meant that their sentences were a lot shorter than Akaashi’s. Well, actually most people here would have a shorter sentence. Akaashi was stuck here for life.

Supposedly.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Bokuto grinned.

“The family’s going to be thrilled once we get out of here.” Kuroo sighed contently.

“Yeah! I mean, we are their highest source of income after all.” Bokuto boasted.

_They live together?_ Akaashi wondered.

“You guys know that you’re probably going to be on some sort of watch after you get out of here right? I think the family’s going to want you to lay low for a while.” Tendou took a sip of water.

“Ah, you’re right. We can’t expose them. We might as well take a vacation for a few months at first.” Kuroo nodded.

“Do you think they’d get us out of here early? Bail?” Bokuto asked.

“Doubt it. The police already know we’re affiliated with a notorious drug gang. Anyone who comes to visit us will immediately be under suspicion.” Kuroo responded.

_They have connections_ was the first thought that went through Akaashi’s head. Maybe this group wouldn’t be so bad to be with after all… If they had connections with people on the outside who were possibly willing to help… it would make the escape a lot easier.

However, the more people that got involved, the more difficult it would be to pull off.

Kuroo and Bokuto seemed to come in a pair. If he involved one in this plan he would be involving the other as well. Tendou seemed to have known about their connections, and if that was the case, Akaashi doubted that Kuroo and Bokuto would leave him behind.

And then there was Kenma…

It was clear that Kenma didn’t previously know the three, but Akaashi felt a little twinge of guilt over the thought of leaving Kenma all on his own.

He would be fine, right?

Kenma was on his own before Akaashi came here. There didn’t seem to be any other people who talked to him.

In any case, if Akaashi wanted to inquire about a possible escape plan using the “terrifying trio”’s connections, he would have to either ask Kuroo or Tendou about it. Bokuto clearly couldn’t keep secrets.

Even though Kuroo seemed to know the most about these connections, Akaashi wasn’t particularly keen on interacting with him. He was still wary of the man, not sure if there was any lingering hostility felt towards him after Akaashi had slammed him to the floor previously.

Which meant he was going to have to talk to Tendou.

Alone.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Akaashi a few weeks to work up the courage to approach Tendou alone.

Realistically, it would look really weird if he suddenly went up to Tendou. He had not even had a proper conversation with the man yet. 

Akaashi decided to wait a few weeks, since he literally had his whole life to plan his escape. It would be best to ensure that his plan was flawless. 

Over the next few weeks, Akaashi got himself more familiar with the group. He was slowly learning their habits, how they interacted as a group, where he fit into all of this, and how they reacted to certain things. 

He learned that Tendou had a much shorter sentence here than Bokuto and Kuroo, who had eight years here. Tendou was sentenced to two years, but only had a minimum of one year. This meant if he kept up good behaviour, he could be released early. 

This was an ideal factor if Akaashi wanted to use them for his escape.

However, they seemed relatively smart, so he had to get them to genuinely trust him for this. There was no way they were going to leave anyone behind. Akaashi was pretty sure that Kenma was going to have to come along too, because Kuroo seemed to have gotten rather attached. 

Yes, that’s right.

Akaashi didn’t miss the lingering glances and the hyper focused attention that Kuroo always showed to Kenma.

Speaking of Kuroo, he and Akaashi were on relatively even terms now. Kuroo had not retaliated in the slightest for the incident, apart from a few teasing jibes here and there in conversation, which Akaashi could deal with. They weren’t particularly friendly, but they got along well enough.

Bokuto on the other hand…

Akaashi felt that Bokuto was like a wild card.

He was outgoing, energetic, effervescent, and yet everyone seemed to let him get away with it.

Yes, the correctional officers came around and told him to shut up, but certain things like the constant tapping of his fingers or the fact that sometimes Bokuto had a more difficult time focusing on certain work tasks they would let slip by. 

Akaashi really wanted to ask about it, but he felt that it was not his place to do so. 

In the meantime, Akaashi had taken up a course to keep himself from going crazy.

He loved to learn, to analyze, to… _think._

Currently, he was only enrolled in one class, which was criminal justice. Kind of ironic for him to be taking that, right? 

Well, he was previously a student studying law. 

The subject wasn’t of particular interest to him to be honest, but law was one of the most useful assets to him in committing his crimes. It allowed him to find loopholes in the system, to create scenarios where he would be the least likely to be caught, and if he was, his sentence wouldn’t be as severe.

It also made him look educated, respectful, and intelligent. The police would not be as quick to suspect him in this way.

Akaashi had some difficulty trying to figure out how to approach Tendou on the topic of using their connections to plan an escape. First of all, he would need to talk to the man at a time where there were no guards listening into their conversation, because that would immediately blow their cover. 

Secondly, he needed to get Tendou alone. This was a lot harder than Akaashi anticipated, because every free block period he swore that Bokuto or Kuroo seemed to pop up somewhere. 

It wasn’t like Akaashi could just shoo them away either. He needed to keep good relations with them if he wanted to use them. Asking them outright to talk to Tendou alone would immediately arouse suspicion. 

It took several weeks before Akaashi finally found a free block period where both Kuroo and Bokuto were working, but Tendou was not. 

“Tendou-san. May I have a word with you? Privately?” Akaashi asked quietly. The red haired man was seated in his cell, reading what appeared to be a magazine.

“Ah! Akaashi-kun! What a surprise. Sure.” Tendou grinned. He dog-eared a page on the magazine before placing it next to him. Akaashi noted that the magazine was called “Jump!”. It appeared to be a shonen magazine.

“Curious?” Tendou asked, looking at Akaashi, gesturing to the magazine. Akaashi paused for a moment.

“It’s none of my concern what you read in your spare time.” He bowed his head slightly in respect, not wanting to potentially offend Tendou in any way. The latter barked out a sharp peal of laughter.

“Y’know Akaashi-kun, you kinda talk like Wakatoshi.” Tendou chuckled, a wide smile on his face. 

“Your boyfriend, right?” Akaashi clarified. 

“Yes! He’s the one who gave me this,” Tendou chriped, holding up the magazine, “he went through all the customs of getting it approved so he could give it to me. He knows I’ve been dying to read the latest issue.” 

“But anyway, what did you want to discuss, Akaashi-kun?”

“Ah, well… I heard that you, Bokuto-san, and Kuroo-san were previously a part of an… organization?”

“You’re correct.” 

“I was wondering… how close are you to that organization?” 

Tendou narrowed his eyes, “Pretty close I’d say. Why?”

“Would you be interested in escaping?” 

Tendou raised his eyebrows, “Well, that certainly was not what I was expecting. I thought you wanted drugs.” 

Akaashi blinked in shock, “No, I’m not interested in that sort of thing.” 

Tendou leaned back on his hands, “Okay, good. Personally I wouldn’t mind, but my sentence isn’t terribly long. Two years I can handle. You, on the other hand…” His gaze locked onto Akaashi’s.

“A whole life in prison huh? Yeah, you probably wouldn’t want that.” Tendou shot Akaashi a lazy smile that had the latter feeling scrutinized. 

“Right,” Akaashi cleared his throat, “So I suppose that’s a no, then.” 

“Ah, I didn’t say that. I’m rather interested in what you have in mind. After all, prison is kind of boring.” 

“I’d prefer not to disclose any information until you have fully agreed to be on board with the idea.” 

“Smart. Then again, I expect nothing less from you.” 

Tendou narrowed his eyes once more, “There’s a reason you asked me, isn’t there? Why not ask Kuroo or Bokuto? They’d be more willing to get out of here since they have a longer sentence.” 

“Yes, well. Bokuto-san has indicated more than once to me that he cannot keep secrets. As for Kuroo-san…” Akaashi trailed off stiffly.

“Hmm. Okay. I’ll agree. On a few conditions.”

“What are they?”

“I’m not turning myself into a fugitive. I want to be able to walk out of here and meet with Wakatoshi-kun without the police being on my tail. So, I’ll help you get out of here, but only if I have no connection to this crime that the police know of.” 

“Second, Bokuto-kun and Kuroo-kun would not be very happy with me if I helped you escape without them. So they come too.” 

Akaashi nodded. He had figured as much with Bokuto and Kuroo needing to tag along. 

“So… this means it will only happen in two years.”

Tendou looked at him seriously, “If that’s too far for you, then I can’t help you. Wakatoshi-kun is a professional volleyball player. Even if our relationship isn’t explicitly out there, I’m not going to cause any more trouble for him. Can you imagine the press if it was revealed that he was involved with a fugitive? I’m not going to risk his career like that.” 

Akaashi nodded, “That’s completely fine. I was just merely stating facts. Two years is more than ideal compared to spending life in here.” 

“Then we have an agreement.” Tendou stuck out his hand, which Akaashi took and gave a firm shake.

That went a lot smoother than Akaashi had anticipated. Not many inmates would risk their relatively peaceful prison life to escape. Once you escape prison, you can’t be seen anywhere. Yes, it meant you were free, but there were a lot of things you couldn’t do.

He was rather surprised that Tendou was relatively easy to persuade. 

Akaashi idly wondered if Kuroo and Bokuto would go along with his idea so easily. The next person he would have to talk to would be Kuroo. There was still the question on when they would disclose the plan to Bokuto, since he wasn’t very good at keeping secrets.

Would he be mad that they had kept this from him?

This entire thing may not even work in the end. After all, he was going to have to figure out a way to hopefully coordinate a rescue using Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san, and Tendou-san’s connections to their drug group. 

In any case, Kuroo-san was next on his list.


	6. Chapter 6

Akaashi lay on his bed one night, his fingers idly playing with each other.

He really wished he had a knife right now.

Not to harm anybody with— at least not at the moment. A habit he had adopted a while back was to twirl the knife between his fingers. 

He liked having that habit. It was impressive, for one. It looked really nice when done properly. Secondly, it was the thrill of being in control of such risk. One wrong move and he could cut himself, but he made sure that he never did.

_He_ decided how to manipulate the knife. _He_ was the one who controlled how it moved. It’s speed, the fluidity, everything. 

Akaashi had gravitated towards knives because of how convenient they were. 

Knives were common. Guns were not. Guns were illegal in japan apart from shotguns and air rifles, and Akaashi couldn’t be bothered to take the tests to achieve one.

Not to mention that not as many people owned guns, so if the police started to find victims who were killed by gunshot, their suspect pool was automatically narrowed immediately.

Knife throwing was also fun. Not a very good way to kill, but it was fun and relaxing. Sometimes Akaashi liked to head into the woods alone and throw knives at trees. 

There was a point in his life where he was tempted to try and murder someone through knife throwing, but realistically it would only lead to a poor execution.

And Akaashi planned all his murders flawlessly. 

Throwing a knife at someone is unlikely to kill them. Not to mention that if he missed, they would know something was up and would start running. Even if he landed a hit, the coroners would likely know that it was by knife throwing compared to a blunt stab wound, and not many people could properly throw knives to fatally injure someone in one go.

Akaashi always ensured that the success rate of his kills were the highest they could be. He wasn't going to use anything that would narrow down the suspect pool. 

He also really liked the fact that knives were a lot quieter than guns. Even with a silencer, guns still made noise, and the sound of a gunshot is pretty distinctive, unless it was New Years where a lot of fireworks were going off that day.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand…

Akaashi still hadn't found a way to approach Kuroo on the matter of an escape plan.

He just wasn't comfortable enough with the other man to approach him in conversation.

Akaashi was still worried that Kuroo held a grudge against him, no matter how small, for tossing him on the ground that one day.

Anything that could be used against him was always trouble.

That was why Akaashi didn't like to tell people about himself. The more information he disclosed, the more likely they were to find things that they could use as a weakness against him in some way.

Sometimes Kuroo and him worked the same shift for jobs, but the guards were always closely monitoring them, so Akaashi never got the chance to ask Kuroo.

Not to mention the fact that Bokuto and Kuroo liked to stick together like glue…

Akaashi didn't have anything against Bokuto. He just wasn't sure how Bokuto would fit into his whole escape plan yet. The man was loud, rather impulsive, and sometimes was a little difficult to figure out, but Akaashi admitted that there was some sort of appeal to his character.

He was just so… bubbly. Like he didn't have a proper care in the world. His presence made everyone else motivated once they saw how much genuine fun he got out of life.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Akaashi was inexperienced in dealing with… those types of people.

“Kuroo-san. May I have a word?” Akaashi asked quietly. Kuroo was currently doing push ups on the floor of the prison yard. He huffed and got up, looking at Akaashi.

“Okay. What is it?” 

“Privately, please.” Akaashi nearly whispered. Kuroo regarded him for a moment, before sending a curt nod, “My cell.” 

Akaashi followed Kuroo to the latter’s cell.

"I was curious if you'd be interested in getting out of here early." Akaashi murmured quietly once they were both in the cell. Kuroo regarded him coolly for a moment.

"And how exactly do you plan on going about that?"

"I'd rather not disclose any information until you're on board with the idea."

"Alright. I'm interested, but Bokuto is coming along too." 

"Tendou-san has also agreed."

"Then we can't leave Kenma behind."

Akaashi gave a small nod. This was what he was expecting.

"First of all, for this to work I need to know if your organization would be willing to help at all." 

Kuroo paused to think for a moment, "hmm, probably. There's a couple of them that we're pretty good friends with, but there's no way to contact them from here." 

"Right, well. Tendou-san has agreed only if he's able to walk out of here free and live as a citizen with Ushijima-san, so I was thinking we could use him as a gateway after he's been released."

“Plausible. Sounds like you’ve got somewhat of an idea already.” Kuroo replied. Akaashi sent him a nod.

“Of course, I’m open to discussing this further, but so far that’s an idea we could implement.” 

"Great, well now that we've sorted all this out, I'll go and tell Bokuto then," Kuroo stood up.

"Ah- about that. Perhaps we should hold off on telling him until later on." Akaashi interjected. Kuroo turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

"Bokuto-san can't keep secrets. We need to keep this idea down low until we've formed a solid plan and have the ability to carry it out. Telling Bokuto-san would only put the plan at risk-"

"Oh, so you've known him for a few weeks and suddenly you're an expert on who he is, huh?" Kuroo snapped, taking a step towards Akaashi.

"He's shown me multiple times, and has even told me that he can't keep secrets-"

"You don't _know_ him! Why do you think we aren't sentenced here for life along with our entire organization? Because both Bokuto and I kept our mouths shut and didn't disclose who they were! Bokuto knows how to keep secrets when he needs to."

"I still don't think we should take the risk-"

"He's not an _idiot!_ You can't treat him like a child-"

"Gentlemen. Is there an issue?" Both Kuroo and Akaashi turned to a guard standing outside Kuroo's cell. He had short, dark hair with dark eyes. His expression was morphed into a serious, stern one, but not aggressive.

"No, Sawamura-san." Kuroo bowed to the guard.

_Sawamura-san,_ Akaashi thought, _Bokuto mentioned that Kuroo was on friendly terms with this guard._

"I merely forgot myself for a moment. Won't happen again. No issues here." Kuroo apologized. The guard looked at him for a moment, arms crossed.

"Okay, well unfortunately I'm going to have to break up this conversation just in case. Try not to be so loud next time." Sawamura-san ushered both Akaashi and Kuroo out of the cell, telling them that it would likely be best for them to split up for a while to avoid anything happening again.

Akaashi sat in the courtyard and took deep breaths. This wasn't happening how he wanted it to go. Kuroo was a lot more defensive over Bokuto than he had anticipated.

_You messed up. You made a mistake. You should have done better. This needs to be flawless._ Akaashi gritted his teeth as the thoughts appeared in his head. 

_This is why your parents never liked you._ Akaashi deflated, looking down as he felt the pin prickling of tears stinging the backs of his eyes.

He needed to stop. Get in control of himself. This was not the time nor place to be showing any type of weakness. 

After taking in a few deep breaths, Akaashi managed to calm himself and swallow back any emotion he was feeling.

Bokuto-san was a peculiar case. 

It seemed like everything Kuroo was saying contradicted what Akaashi had gathered from spending time with the man.

_You don't know him!_ Kuroo’s words rang in Akaashi’s head once again. Kuroo was right, he supposed. A few weeks isn’t exactly enough to get to know someone well enough, but surely it gave him a pretty good gauge on the type of person Bokuto-san was, no?

Then, how was his analysis so off, according to Kuroo-san?

_Bokuto knows how to keep secrets when he needs to._ Did that mean that whatever “secrets” Bokuto-san had disclosed to Akaashi weren’t secrets at all?

Had he been playing Akaashi all along?


	7. Chapter 7

After his possible realization, Akaashi became a lot more guarded against the others. 

He kept his face neutral at all times. Even though he continued to sit with the group during meals, he didn’t contribute to the conversation unless addressed directly. 

Kuroo-san and him were back on icy terms, neither of them wanting anything to do with the other at the moment. It didn’t appear as if Kuroo had told Bokuto about the plan, but at this point Akaashi wasn’t really sure about anything anymore.

Kuroo’s statements had rattled him to his core. He wasn’t used to being so blatantly told off like that. Akaashi prided himself on his accuracy and analysis. When that was taken away from him, what was he good for?

At this point Akaashi second guessed if he should even go through with the escape plan. Maybe he should just figure out one for himself alone. He doubted that Kuroo would be eager to help him now.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

It took a few more weeks before Akaashi dared to do anything to progress the escape plan again. He had contemplated sitting elsewhere during mealtime, but while he was about to look for a new table, Bokuto-san had called him over. Loudly. He hadn’t wanted to make a scene, so Akaashi awkwardly sat at the table with everyone else.

No one else supposedly knew about his and Kuroo-san’s disagreement, so he was forced to act like his normal self to avoid arousing suspicion. Akaashi figured that Tendou-san and Kenma-san picked up on their underlying tension anyway though.

It also took Akaashi a while to warm up to Bokuto again. He couldn’t shake the distrust that Bokuto-san had been playing him this entire time with the whole secrets thing. 

It is possible that Bokuto-san simply saw himself as a person who was bad at secrets, when in reality he wasn’t that terrible, but Akaashi didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Hey, Akaashi. What’s up?” Bokuto asked as they jogged together in the outside yard.

“What do you mean, Bokuto-san?”

“You seem kinda deep in thought. Is there something bothering you?” 

“Oh,” Akaashi paused, not expecting Bokuto to be so observant. He had been able to get away with this several times, with their jogging sessions usually Bokuto-san rambling on about one subject or another, and Akaashi occasionally pitching in here and there. There were times where he was able to just tune Bokuto out and think about his own things for a while.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” 

“Okay. If you say so Akaashi. You’re always welcome to talk to me if you want! I’ll do my best to listen!” Bokuto sent him a friendly smile, and Akaashi couldn’t help but send a small one in return.

_He’s not an idiot. You can’t treat him like a child._ Akaashi remembered the words that Kuroo-san had told him that one day.

Perhaps Kuroo-san was right. Perhaps he had underestimated Bokuto-san. Originally he had regarded Bokuto as someone who was childish, loud, and fearless at the same time. In comparison to Kuroo-san and Tendou-san, Bokuto wasn’t very perceptive. He didn’t pick up on an underlying tension or mood very easily, but Kuroo was right. He wasn’t an idiot.

Oblivious at times, maybe, but not an idiot.

Akaashi chuckled to himself quietly. What a fool he had been, thinking of Bokuto-san like an immature child.

He thought Bokuto was someone to be babied, someone he had to monitor not to screw up in his plan. He thought of him like a troublesome wildcard.

He was wrong. He realized this now. 

He should have been working _with_ Bokuto-san, not trying to control him.

Akaashi took in a deep breath. He now knew that he had to re-organize his plan. 

It was time to start trusting Bokuto-san as an equal.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

“Bokuto-san. Can we talk privately in my cell after this?” Akaashi asked one day as they finished up their workout. Bokuto shot up in surprise, looking at Akaashi wide-eyed.

“Really? Cool! I’ve never been in your cell before.”

“It’s… the same as every other cell, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto simply hummed in reply, his eyes still alight with glee. Akaashi watched him for a brief moment, before walking over to his cell with Bokuto-san following.

“So? What did you wanna talk about?” 

“Please, I request that you lower your voice for this.” Akaashi murmured, eyes darting around to make sure no guards were passing by.

“Secret?” Bokuto whispered, inching ever so closer to Akaashi, who sent him a nod in return.

“We were thinking of planning an escape. Are you interested?” 

“We?”

“Kuroo, Tendou, and me.” 

“Yeah!” Bokuto boomed. Akaashi glared at him and he shrank in on himself before whispering a quiet “yeah” once more. 

“It won’t be for a while. Tendou-san is going to be our gateway between us and your organization. He needs to be released first.” Akaashi explained quietly, ducking his head slightly and leaning into Bokuto’s space. 

Bokuto’s heart started beating faster, eyes locked onto Akaashi’s. Upon closer inspection, he found that Akaashi’s eyes were more of a gunmetal blue than the simple dark blue that he had originally thought. It only made them more alluring.

“Bokuto-san? Did you hear what I said?” Akaashi asked, breaking Bokuto out of his thoughts.

“Ah! Sorry, I missed it. What did you say?” He asked sheepishly. Akaashi regarded him with an expressionless gaze. His constant cool demeanor only intrigued Bokuto more. He wanted to get to know the Akaashi behind the mask. His true self, when he wasn’t busy holding up barriers to the world around him.

“I asked if Tendou-san can be trusted? Is he close enough to you and Kuroo to the point that he won’t just disappear as soon as he’s released?” 

“Oh! Of course. Tendou’s our friend. He’s loyal.” Bokuto nodded as he spoke. Akaashi let out a small sigh, his eyes focused on the floor.

He murmured it so quietly that Bokuto barely heard it.

“Even friends can turn on you if there’s something precious at stake.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you to everyone who's left a comment so far :)   
> You're all very sweet and very encouraging!

“I told Bokuto-san about it.” Akaashi mentioned to Kuroo one day during their free block period. Tendou perked up curiously from where he was sitting.

“Okay.” Kuroo responded. Akaashi looked at him for a moment longer before turning back to the book he was reading.

“You’re welcome to tell Kenma-san if you wish. If not, then I’ll tell him.” 

“Why are you suddenly giving me the offer? You didn’t do this for Bokuto or Tendou.” 

“I told Tendou-san before I told you, and I told Bokuto-san myself because I owed it to him to be completely honest with him, and… to stop viewing him as someone who posed a burden.” 

Kuroo-san regarded him for a long moment, before sighing. 

“Then why don’t you just tell Kenma yourself?”

“Alright. I just figured you might like an excuse to talk to him.” 

Kuroo jerked abruptly at that, his book almost falling out of his lap. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Akaashi. Behind Kuroo, Tendou’s eyebrows were raised, his eyes shining with amusement.

“What do you mean by that?” Kuroo bit out, his teeth clenched.

“Have you not taken an interest in him?” Akaashi asked nonchalantly, turning a page of his book. His face remained impassive, only making Kuroo’s blood boil even more.

“I don’t know where you’re pulling these ideas out from-”

“We can all see it, Kuroo-kun.” Tendou pitched in, a smirk on his face. Kuroo whipped around, his face contorted into one of embarrassment and frustration.

“Okay maybe- but that doesn’t mean anything! I just think he’d make a good addition to our group is all.” 

“Okay Kuroo-kun~ Whatever you say.” Tendou smiled. 

Kuroo grumbled quietly under his breath before turning back to his book.

“I assume you’re doing it then?” Akaashi asked. 

Kuroo groaned and let his head fall into the book he was reading.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

“Kenma, you got a second?” Kuroo asked as they cleaned up the prison yard. There were only a few prisoners on this shift, so they were spread out in pairs cleaning up trash and weeds in the outside yard. A few guards milled around, but they were out of earshot for now.

“Sure.” Kenma replied, bending down to pluck some weeds out of the ground and put it in a bag. Kuroo picked up a tire and carried it over to the corner where the rest of the tires were. 

“So, the rest of us were thinking…” Kuroo leaned in closer to Kenma, “to clear this place.” 

He hoped that his wording would translate properly to Kenma. He didn’t want to risk anyone else hearing and possibly ratting them out.

“Good luck with that.” Kenma snorted.

“You- you don’t want to?”

“You didn’t make it clear the offer was on the table.” 

“Why else would I say that?” 

“Just checking.” Kenma sent him a miniscule smile, and Kuroo swore he felt his heart skip a beat. It wasn’t often that Kenma graced anyone with a smile. 

“Great,” Kuroo said, his voice coming out more breathy than anticipated, “Akaashi is the main man behind this, so I’ll leave it up to him to fill you in a little more.” 

Kenma gave him a nod, and with that they went back to cleaning up the yard.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

It was about a week later. Everyone who needed to know had been informed that they were planning an escape. Nothing of their plan had progressed though. Akaashi had told them that this plan was going to take at least a few years, so they didn’t have to worry about it too much for a long while.

"I wanna know why you thought Bokuto was an idiot at first." Kuroo told Akaashi as they lined up for a shower.

"I never said-"

"Don't play games with me. I know you thought he was less competent than Tendou or me. Why?" 

Akaashi turned his head away for a moment, "I suppose it was his… brash demeanor. He liked to talk a lot, and it gave me the impression that in turn, he didn't have a lot of time to listen to others, to examine them properly." 

"So, you base a lot on first impressions."

Akaashi paused at that. He took a few moments to remember his past behavior.

"I suppose you could say that. I observe people. As time passes, my opinion of them can change as well."

"I hope you know that Bokuto isn't dumb, nor is he oblivious. He's actually very intelligent, dare I say even more so than Tendou or me in some aspects." 

Akaashi watched Kuroo quietly, allowing his words to sink in.

"Bokuto holds a pretty high position in our organization. Why do you think he's the leader of our group here? The only way to work your way up the ladder in our organization is to prove yourself. Everything is based on results, on proof," Kuroo turned to the side to glance at Akaashi, "that's something you like, right?" 

"What are you implying?" 

"I'm just saying, Bokuto has obviously taken a liking to you. Both Tendou and I will admit that perhaps you might be useful to our organization. There's an invitation, if you want." 

"You know I have a life sentence, right?" Akaashi deadpanned, hoping that Kuroo would get the hint that they weren't alone. To everyone else, Akaashi would be here for life. They didn't know of their plan to escape, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Ah, right. My bad. I forgot. Nevermind then." Kuroo hastily replied, his hand coming to rest on his neck.

_Embarrassment._ Akaashi noted Kuroo's body language, satisfied that he had picked up on Akaashi's cue. To the outside, he would just look embarrassed to have forgotten Akaashi's life sentence.

They wouldn't know that Kuroo had almost hinted at their escape plan.

Their conversation ended after that. While Akaashi showered, he pondered about Kuroo's words. He hadn’t properly thought about what he would do once he escaped this wretched place.

Did he really want to join an organization once he got out of here?

Akaashi exhaled. He mentally berated himself once more. What was he doing? Why didn’t he have a plan yet? 

Why had he been so eager to tell everyone about the escape plan? It didn’t do him much good. They couldn’t really do anything until Tendou was released. Only then would the plan even begin to _start._

_Get a grip on yourself._ Akaashi reprimanded himself. There were so many holes in his plan. It wasn’t even fully formed yet. What if Boktuto-san’s organization said no? What if they refused to help them get out of here? 

Akaashi didn’t have a back up plan at all.

This place was making him lose touch. 

He prided himself on how accurate his plans were, how good of a planner he was. After all, that’s how he had committed so many murders without getting caught.

Why was he suddenly making so many errors?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little bit of a shorter chapter. Sorry about that :p  
> I've been watching too much BNHA. I need to get back into the Haikyuu mood lol

Akaashi had… a bit of a peculiar relationship with Bokuto-san.

He swore that whenever he believed that he had figured the other man out, he would always find something else that proved Akaashi wrong. 

Akaashi’s first impression of Bokuto had been based on a few weeks of interaction.

He saw Bokuto as a big baby. Someone who had trouble sitting still, staying quiet. Someone who would only be a liability in his plan. 

However, Akaashi recognized his power and status in the facility immediately. No one messed with Bokuto-san or his group. 

Kuroo-san had proved Akaashi wrong by bringing up his status in the organization, and here as well. Although it may not have been true, there was no real reason for Kuroo-san to lie about it.

Bokuto-san had proved he wasn’t what Akaashi had believed when he noticed Akaashi zoning out during their jogs. It made Akaashi wonder how many times Bokuto-san had noticed. 

It also made him wonder what else Bokuto-san had picked up on that he had just not mentioned. 

Kuroo-san had said that Bokuto-san _wasn’t_ oblivious, which meant that Akaashi had miscalculated his personality _again._

It also meant Bokuto-san truly knew how to choose the words he said, even if most of the time whatever he said was completely random.

Akaashi was usually able to figure out people relatively easily. He was correct in how Kuroo, Tendou, and Kenma behaved and interacted… so why did he have so much difficulty figuring out Bokuto?

People were complex. Akaashi knew that.

Perhaps Bokuto-san wasn't intentionally hiding his perceptive nature.

In any case, Akaashi decided that he would spend a while longer interacting with Bokuto and getting a better gauge on the kind of person he was.

The next day, Akaashi was rather exhausted. He had spent all night thinking about Bokuto-san’s complex character and trying to figure out how to solidify his escape plan, including a back up plan in case Bokuto-san’s organization refused to help.

In the end he couldn’t really think of much. The main issue was that everyone else was already involved, and because 4 people not including Tendou-san wanted to escape at once, it would be incredibly difficult without outside help.

There was always the option of planning a solo escape without telling the others… but that was also extremely difficult. The best time to escape would probably be at night, but with Kenma sharing a cell with him it wouldn’t be easy to escape without his knowledge. Not to mention there was also the lingering worry that the others would feel angry or betrayed that he fled by himself, and since none of them had a life sentence, they might want to hunt him down after they get released. 

He had contemplated asking Kenma for some advice, but he didn’t want to reveal any potential weaknesses or insecurity that Kenma could hold over him. 

Everyone here was not to be trusted. They were all criminals after all, so Akaashi did not feel safe disclosing any possible information that could turn around and bite him later on. 

“Hey Akaashi. Are you doing alright? You seem kind of troubled. Is the plan bothering you?” Bokuto asked him during one of their work out periods. 

“... I’m fine, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi replied. Somehow Bokuto-san was able to pinpoint the source of his troubles as well. Akaashi wondered if his emotionless facade was slipping or if Bokuto-san was just that good at reading him.

“Okay, if you say so. Don’t hesitate to talk to me if you want to! Kuroo and Tendou say that I’m good at picking up emotional cues. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone, y’know? Not pressuring you or anything though.” 

Akaashi sent Bokuto a small smile, “I’ll be okay. Thank you for your concern, Bokuto-san.” 

As they continued their workout, Akaashi reflected on the inmates in prison. It wasn’t nearly as brutal as he had originally anticipated. The inmates respected each other for the most part. Aside from the occasional scuffle here and there, it was mostly daily routine. 

The guards strict schedules and supervision would be the main issues in escaping, which was why having outside help would make the getaway so much easier.

A distraction from the outside would give them better chances at getting out to a possible pick up zone where they could be rescued and leave this terrible place for good.

But all of this would go to waste without the organization's help. 

There was also the issue of Tendou-san simply walking out free and never coming back to help them. 

He did say he wanted to get out of this free and unconnected to the escape after all, and what better way to do that then just waiting to be released?

Akaashi supposed there was the factor of Bokuto and Kuroo's anger to keep Tendou attached to the plan, but the rest of them would all be released in a few years at most.

If Akaashi didn't make it out the first time, he was stuck here for life.

And that was his worst nightmare.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start picking up !

It had been around 2 months since Akaashi had approached Tendou on the premise of an escape. On the note that Tendou may only need to be here for a year if he kept up good behaviour, Akaashi decided that they should start talking about a solid plan for when Tendou gets released.

6 months remain until the one year mark of Tendou's stay in prison, and in that time they needed to develop some sort of code to communicate.

“I was thinking… we should only have one person contact Tendou-san after he's released. It would reduce possible communication confusion or a mismatch of information.” Akaashi suggested during dinner. His quieter voice was almost lost among the chatter of the cafeteria, but on the bright side it made it incredibly difficult for others to eavesdrop.

“That's smart. Who should it be?” Bokuto asked, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

“I was thinking Kuroo-san might fit the task, if he's up to it.” Akaashi looked at Kuroo.

"That's a good idea. Akaashi and I aren't close enough to Tendou for him to be coming back to talk to either of us only. Kuro shares a cell with Tendou, so it would make sense that Tendou is closer to Kuro than Bokuto." Kenma murmured. Akaashi looked at Kenma out of the corner of his eye.

_Kuro_ , huh? 

The small nickname wasn't lost on Akaashi. He found it rather amusing, actually. Although Kenma-san and Kuroo-san don't appear to talk to each other too much, there was definitely some sort of bond forming between them.

“Sounds good.” Kuroo hums, taking a sip of water. 

“So, from now on, Kuroo-san and Tendou-san have to appear very close. Closer than Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san, even.” Akaashi stated. 

“Is there something the rest of us can do in the meantime?” Bokuto asked. 

“For now, I don’t see anything being of use for the rest of us to do, but if any of you have ideas, they would be welcome.” Akaashi replied. 

“The rest of you should probably scope out the entirety of the prison, no? Figure out potential escape routes and everything. Even if we have the organization’s help, I don’t think they’d be willing to sacrifice many of their men to help us. Perhaps just a handful.” Tendou pitched in. Akaashi bit his tongue. Of course, he should have thought of that.

“Yeah, and also we can start on a code right? Obviously the guards won’t be happy if they figure out that Tendou and Kuroo have been exchanging information on an escape.” Bokuto suggested.

“Perhaps we could leave most of the coding to Kuro and Tendou for the most part. It’s easier to remember something you’ve come up with yourself than trying to remember all the things that other people suggest.” Kenma replied. 

“And we should probably already have a proposal for the organization. This would make it easier—” Akaashi cut himself off as a guard walked by.

“—to consistently build up stamina if you want to train your muscles. Yoga allows your muscles to practice being under stress for periods of time, and also allows you to be more flexible and hopefully reduce the likelihood of overexertion during workouts.” Akaashi transitioned his topic smoothly until the guard had passed. 

Tendou quirked an eyebrow, mouth twisting up in an attempt to repress his laughter.

Kuroo snorted, “smooth.” 

Akaashi pursed his lips before continuing, “as I was saying, it would make it easier in terms of communication. It reduces the amount of time we would have to go back and forth discussing.” 

Everyone voiced their agreement. Not long after that they were ushered off for the next item in the daily schedule, which was more work. 

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

The longer Akaashi’s been stuck here, the more agitated he’s been getting. Almost everything in prison went against his yearning and urges. 

He liked freedom. He liked being able to control what he did, when he did them, and who was involved. 

Prison got rid of that completely.

He liked murder because he dictated a lot of aspects. Knives in particular were really good for the job. Guns were brash, loud, and brutal. Knives gave off a more elegant atmosphere, the metal glinting in the light as it gets coated in crimson red. 

Murder put him in control over a person’s life. _Complete. Control._ It was different than being a part of the government or police force.

It was fun controlling the rate at which they bled out. He chose whether they got to die a slow, painful death, or a quick, sharp one. 

Another thing was the _blood._

It was just so beautiful. Watching the scarlet liquid flow and pool out of a wound and onto the floor. 

It was unfortunately only beautiful when it was fresh. After a period of time which was usually less than a minute, the blood started to coagulate and everything just got annoying. 

Akaashi had a few bottles of blood thinner that he occasionally forced his victims to take before cutting them open. Those were only for times where he was really feeling sadistic, watching the blood flow out for longer periods of time. 

There was nothing he could do here to achieve that level of satisfaction. He didn’t have access to anything sharp like a blade or a shard of glass that could cut like a knife did. Blunt force wasn’t satisfying to Akaashi. He liked precision, and the feeling of a really sharp knife gliding into skin was something that was irreplaceable. 

Even if he was able to commit a murder, he didn’t have access to a method of disposal for the body. Before he came here, he usually burned the bodies to prevent any evidence from being found. All of his murders were done in the secret basement he had. It was specially made so the entire room sloped inwards to the middle that was lower than the rest, where a drain was located. When it was cleanup time, all he had to do was wash the floors with water, and the bloody mess would all be gone down the drain.

He was always efficient in cleanup. He never waited long enough for any of the blood to stain the floors, and made sure not to have any cloth around other than the clothes he and his victim wore to prevent unnecessary stains.

His clothes simply needed a soak in cold water or hydrogen peroxide to get rid of the blood.

Perhaps he could ask Tendou-san to somehow smuggle in a knife-

No.

He needed to focus.

This was not the time to indulge in his wants. He needed everything to go as smoothly as possible. Sneaking in a knife was only asking for trouble.

Akaashi closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his shaky hands coming to press harshly against each other.

_Focus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For real though. The feeling of a really sharp knife gliding through a vegetable when you're cutting them up with minimum resistance? Most satisfying feeling ever.


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone got to work on starting their plan immediately. Kuroo-san and Tendou-san were spending more time together, making a lot of quips at each other in a friendly manner.

While they put on the facade of being really close to each other, Bokuto-san opted to spend some more time with Kenma and Akaashi to further aid the illusion that Kuroo and Tendou were best of friends.

During one of their work periods in the kitchen at night, Kuroo and Kenma stood side by side alternating between rolling napkins and cleaning the kitchen. It was just the two of them tonight, since it was really late. There was only one guard supervising them right now, but others loitered and patrolled around to make sure everything was going smoothly.

It so happened to be Kuroo and Kenma’s luck that the guard supervising them tonight was Sawamura-san. He often allowed them the leniency to chat and progress as they wanted as long as they finished the required quota on time. The other guards weren’t usually this nice.

“I’m kinda surprised that you and Bokuto weren’t dating since you two are so close.” Kenma murmured quietly. Kuroo snorted in response.

“Are you kidding me? No way. Bokuto’s my best bro. He’s basically my brother. I couldn’t date him.” Kuroo eyed Kenma curiously, “why? You jealous?” He teased.

Kenma levelled him with an unimpressed stare, and Kuroo let out a laugh. 

“I’m just kidding.” He smiled before turning around to clean the cabinets behind them. Kenma looked down at his hands that continued to roll napkins.

_Maybe just a little… jealous._ Kenma’s mind supplied. He would never admit it, but he did really enjoy his time with Kuro. It was different than spending time with Akaashi, whom he also liked being around.

Akaashi and him were able to simply sit together and not talk, enjoying the silence and each other’s company. 

Akaashi was pleasant to be around because he understood that Kenma wasn't a big talker, or a big people person. They respected each other. They were both rather sarcastic and blunt, which Kenma found quite fun. Someone finally understood his humour.

However, with Akaashi, Kenma still felt that air of… formality between them. This was likely simply because Akaashi was a formal person in general, but Kenma sensed that the other was rather closed off to the world.

Kuro on the other hand…

Kuro was funny and smart. Kenma really appreciated that in a person. As much as he joked around and teased everyone, when the time came he was extremely intelligent and sharp.

He was super friendly, which was a contrast to Kenma’s reclusive behaviour. Oddly enough… when Kenma was around him, he felt at ease.

They finished up their shift and were escorted back into their cells for the rest of the night. Kenma regarded Akaashi’s sleeping form curiously. The latter had adjusted to the noise of the counts and sounds of prison at night by now. 

Kenma wondered why he was included into the escape plan. Only a fool wouldn’t see that Akaashi was using the terrifying trio for their outside connections. Outside help makes it easier to attain access to tools or materials needed, and it gave a lot more flexibility to an escape plan. 

If that was the case, what was the point of him being included? It wasn’t like he had any useful skills to contribute. He was skilled in technology, and maybe he had the odd skill here and there, but certainly nothing the others knew of that would be directly useful.

Kenma supposed he didn’t mind being included. It would have kind of stung for him to be the only one left out in their group. 

It also beat being bored here doing the same things everyday. He didn’t mind being in prison particularly, but it was also a little suffocating, how little freedom they had. 

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

Bokuto thought it was funny, how life worked out sometimes. 

Human emotion was definitely something that was unpredictable, and yet such a big factor in life.

Bokuto had introduced himself to Akaashi because he thought the other man was beautiful. He wanted to get to know him better. He knew that this would never had happened if it had not been for Kuroo’s interest in Kenma, who just so happened to be the first inmate that Akaashi came in contact with.

Furthermore, Akaashi probably wouldn’t have bothered with them if they hadn’t earned themselves a reputation here. Bokuto knew that Akaashi’s interest in their group had spiked once he found out that they were connected to an organization on the outside. 

He will admit, it’s a little bit disheartening to realize that you’re being used, but to him any reason to spend more time with Akaashi was good enough.

Initially Akaashi was just a pretty face. Then, that pretty face became someone Bokuto wanted to get to know more. Akaashi was smart on top of his beauty, and his dry humour was something Bokuto found very entertaining. He liked that Akaashi wasn't afraid to speak his mind. If you messed up he would tell you. 

Bokuto just wished Akaashi would open up a little more. All he really knew about Akaashi was that he was in here for murder, had a life sentence, and _really_ wanted to get out of here. 

He knew that Akaashi refrained from disclosing personal information on purpose. Who wouldn't in prison? It was a little disappointing that Akaashi wasn't comfortable with the group to share anything about himself, but Bokuto knew that each person had their own pace.

He was also determined to get Akaashi to open up to him by the deadline of the escape plan.

He had a few years, so it was no big deal as for now. He knew that with Akaashi, there wasn't much he could do other than take it slow, because if he rushed in and pestered the other with invasive questions, Akaashi would only close himself off even more and push everyone away.

If they got out of here, Bokuto was thinking that Akaashi and Kenma were both valuable assets to their organization. They were both very intelligent people who were good at picking up on small details. 

Well, this was all speculation. None of this would matter if their plan failed.

Which was why Bokuto was that much more determined to pull this off.


	12. Chapter 12

It turned out to be Kenma of all people who found a possible escape route. While working outside in the yard having to weed out the grass, spotted a series of grooves along the run down walls that could be used to climb up to the top where there was only the issue of the barbed wire resting above the wall.

Bokuto had the next work shift in that area, and he pointed out that they could climb up and walk a few steps along the top of the wall to a point where there was a small break in the wire fencing separated by the two poles used to hold up the wire. It wasn’t flawless. It was actually super time consuming for 4 people to climb over, but it was the best option that they had right now.

Akaashi decided that they should keep searching for an easier route, but for now they would keep that one in mind as their option if nothing better was found. 

As time progressed, the duties for the escape plan became more split. Kuroo and Tendou were solely focused on figuring out how to secretly communicate without the guards figuring out their code, while Akaashi, Kenma, and Bokuto discussed a possible escape plan, and at what points they would need the organization’s assistance. 

They made sure they had at least a vague plan ready by the time Tendou’s minimum of one year mark was up so they would be able to start the plan if Tendou got released early. 

However, Tendou did not end up getting an early release, so the group was able to properly refine their plan, which Akaashi was very pleased about.

“Man, everyone’s very exuberant today,” Bokuto-san grinned, plopping down next to Akaashi to eat lunch, “Did I use ‘exuberant’ correctly, Akaashi?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san. That was correct.” Akaashi replied. Bokuto-san did a fist pump before taking a bite out of his meal. Akaashi couldn’t help the small upward pull of his lips at Bokuto-san’s excitement. Kenma-san raised a subtle eyebrow at that, and Akaashi narrowed his eyes at Kenma before discreetly gesturing to Kuroo-san, who was basically pressed up against Kenma’s side while chatting with Tendou-san. 

Kenma’s eyes widened a fraction before his face contorted into a scowl. Leave it to Akaashi for being the one to pick up on Kuroo’s closeness. 

Akaashi was very observant, and wasn’t afraid to use blackmail or call you out if he felt like it. Both Kenma and Akaashi were aware of the growing fondness each other had towards Kuroo and Bokuto. 

One night, Akaashi lay in his cell. He simply relaxed and let his thoughts drift while waiting for sleep to take him. 

He reviewed the plan once more in his head. They were able to deduct that the locks were a mix of electronic and manual, so if somehow Kenma was able to slip out of his cell and get to the control room, it would be easy for him to let Kuroo and Bokuto out from their cells by hacking and overriding the system. 

However there was the massive issue that as prisoners, they weren’t able to explore the place and that made it incredibly difficult to figure out where the control room was located, not to mention that they likely wouldn’t even be able to get into the room without some sort of identification.

Tendou had mentioned that there was someone in the organization who was able to hack into computer systems, and that he could ask them to help out for the lock issue. They had agreed to go with that option.

Akaashi wanted to leave as little responsibility to the organization as possible, because what if they ended up declining the request for help? Then they would be stuck here. 

In any case, with the current plan, they were going to use the wall Kenma had found initially. Ideally, someone like Kuroo or Bokuto should go first so they would be able to pull the others up the wall to make the process quicker. 

However, the next step required them to walk in a line on top of the wall to climb over the barbed wire fence, and Bokuto-san was bigger than Kuroo-san and may have a harder time fitting through the gap where the barbed wire parted. 

Which meant in theory Bokuto-san should bring up the rear…

_But then he’ll be in the position most likely to get caught or hurt by the guards…_ Akaashi’s mind supplied.

Right. So, perhaps Kuroo-san should bring up the rear-

Hold on.

Why did he _care?_

He should only be concerned about the best likelihood that _he_ would be able to escape. Why should he care about any of the others? 

It didn’t matter to him what happened to them after this.

Did it?

The horror of realization suddenly dawned on Akaashi. Maybe he wasn’t as impassive to the rest of the group as he originally thought. 

Akaashi mentally reflected on his time in prison, and only then did it register that he had actually made some good memories here with this group. 

They were just supposed to be a tool, a method to get out of this hellhole. 

When did Akaashi develop feelings towards these people?

Akaashi didn’t think he ever smiled as much as when he was with the group. Everyone passed jokes and banter easily, as if they’d known each other their whole lives. 

Everyone was incredibly intelligent in their own aspect, which Akaashi may not have originally noticed. 

And Bokuto-san…

There was truly something incredible about that man.

He somehow made everyone feel that there was a purpose to life, if not just to enjoy it and make good memories. He was so… cheerful and optimistic, and emotionally brilliant, which was something Akaashi didn’t realize existed before.

Bokuto-san was able to pick up on everyone’s moods the fastest. He was always the one to make sure everyone was doing alright. If Akaashi had a day where he was stewing in his thoughts too much, Bokuto-san would come over and ask Akaashi to help spot him on his work out. At the time, Akaashi didn’t realize that Bokuto-san had asked him this out of compassion. 

Somehow, Bokuto-san just _knew_. During one of the lunch periods, a group of inmates were making fun on Kenma’s hair behind their backs, and that Kenma-san could _hear_ their insults. No one at their table realized until Bokuto-san turned around with a sharp glare and told them that picking on others only made them sad pathetic sacs of nothingness, and that their energy was completely wasted on trying to belittle someone they barely knew. 

That shut the other group up right away, and they shamefully apologized before turning back around and eating in silence. Only then did Akaashi realize that Kenma-san had his head angled downward, his hair covering his face and his shoulders hunched in during the entire lunch.

Bokuto-san seemed to get along with everyone, and somehow his cheerful demeanor was infectious. 

He was able to put a smile on Akaashi’s face, no matter how small. Bokuto-san was a person that Akaashi had always quietly wished he was more similar to. 

He was a star in Akaashi’s eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little more about Akaashi :)

One of Akaashi's policies was to never talk to his victims.

He believed that talking to his victims would only open that gateway for him to become attached, even in the slightest.

Once you became attached, it was game over. 

Akaashi's murders worked so well _because_ he was never attached. He always targeted strangers for this reason. 

Even the slightest hesitation could result in his kill being ruined. This was the policy he had followed his whole life.

His one mistake this time was that he broke that policy.

Perhaps it was inevitable. Spending over a year with someone and interacting with them daily, how could you _not_ get attached? He was usually so closed off to the world that it made it incredibly difficult for people to connect with him intimately.

Somehow, Bokuto and his group managed to worm their way into Akaashi's heart and stay there.

It was great, but it also kind of sucked. Akaashi never had real friends he could easily depend on, and although he wasn’t 100% sure that this group would keep in touch after the escape, he truly felt accepted for who he was, and that was something special to him. 

However, with this came complications, of course.

Akaashi never wanted to get attached in the fear that something would go wrong. What if one of them got caught? What if one of them got injured or _killed?_ Akaashi did not want to have to deal with the emotional burden that came with caring for others. It wasn’t something he was used to, nor was it something he was ever interested in. 

Even as a child, he was never particularly emotionally attached to anyone. He didn’t really have any real friends, nor has he ever had a relationship. 

Even his parents weren’t someone that he was particularly attached to.

Akaashi never felt like his parents were "parents". They were more like ... Authoritative figures.

_"Keiji, you're going to learn violin"_

_"Keiji, you need top marks in class"_

_"Keiji. Don't watch that junk on TV"_

_"Keiji. Don't be loud."_

_"Keiji. If you keep eating that ice cream you're going to get fat."_

**_"Keiji. No crying"_ **

They controlled almost every aspect of his life. Yes, it shaped him into a well respected young gentleman, and the little old ladies across the street never hesitated to smile when they saw him because of how polite he was, but it destroyed him inside.

He's never felt love, felt the warmth of a family that cared for each other.

Never been able to release his emotions, to tell his parents about how he felt.

He wasn't even allowed many friends.

_"Having too many friends will only hinder your studies."_ They said. Every friend he's ever had was only there because his parents approved of them, likely the child of one of their old friends.

There were hardly any happy moments spent with his family. Everything was so formal, so... detached.

They barely even knew each other.

So it was no surprise when his family dropped him completely as soon as they learned about his crime. They said he ruined the Akaashi name. Ripped it to shreds and then stomped on it all over again. They shunned him, not even attending his trial.

He hasn't talked to his parents in months.

And honestly? He'd rather keep it that way.

As much as he was hesitant to admit it, he felt like he had found a new family in here.

How ironic that he found his family in prison. 

The realization came so fast to Akaashi that he really wasn’t sure how to process his newfound emotions for the next few days. 

A family… he never really had one.

His parents were both only children, raised to shoulder the burden of family expectations alone, so naturally they passed that mentality on to their only son.

On top of that, they were both workaholics. Their relationship worked because neither of them really needed to spend time with their partner, and both understood that work came first. 

Akaashi quickly learned as a child that emotions were a hindrance. Emotions were a troublesome unstable factor in life that only got in the way of things. 

He was trained to keep a poker face, to be all business and no play.

His parents tried to raise a robot.

Perfectionism was a common theme in the Akaashi household. Always be perfect. 

To craft a perfect human being was Akaashi's parents' ultimate goal, but they were wrong.

Perfection doesn't exist.

What is "perfect", anyway?

The definition of perfect was “having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.” 

Who dictated what those desirable elements were? 

Perfection is different in every person's eyes.

To Akaashi, he was always imperfect. He always had flaws he wanted to eliminate, and it drove him over the edge with frustration. However, here in prison, this group of friends had embraced all of Akaashi's flaws with warmth and joy. It wasn't something Akaashi had ever experienced before, and it was definitely something he didn't hate.

Tears fell from his eyes as Akaashi lay on his cot in his cell, startling him. He screwed his eyes shut, jaw clenching as he took deep breaths to calm himself.

All the burden he was carrying over the past years flowed out. He tried desperately not to let out a sob, for he didn’t want to disturb Kenma-san or let any of the guards hear his turmoil.

It was difficult for him to admit, but Akaashi secretly felt more emotionally free here than he had ever in his entire life. Everyone here was in prison for something they’ve done wrong in accordance to society’s laws, so a lot of people accepted most of the inmates here. 

There were no standards held against him here. He didn’t have to be “perfect” like how he was trained to be his whole life. 

He could let go, speak his mind freely, and most importantly…

Prison allowed him to feel again.


	14. Chapter 14

Tendou was being released tomorrow. 

The plan had pretty much been set. Everyone knew their roles from here on out. Now they relied on the organization’s feedback and hopefully their agreement to their escape plan.

Tendou wasn’t going to come back to visit Kuroo for around 2 months, because he wanted to be able to settle himself back to life in the real world. It also made it less suspicious compared to him coming back a week later to talk to Kuroo. 

Everyone was a little jittery in anticipation, but it was mandatory that they didn't show it to avoid arousing suspicion from the guards.

They went over the plan once more that day, just to ensure that everyone knew their roles and how everything would play out.

Then, at 5:37am the next day, Tendou walked out of prison.

It was a little weird, not having Tendou with them like usual. Akaashi wasn’t used to the conversation without Tendou-san’s little quips and comments here and there, or how he would constantly talk about the first thing he was going to eat when he got out of here was chocolate ice cream.

Akaashi wondered if Tendou kept true to his word.

Now, all they had to do was wait. 

The first few days were terribly slow. Nobody was used to Tendou's absence. 

After a while they adjusted and things flew by pretty quickly after that. Everything went along as routine, until one day Kuroo got called for a phonecall. 

As soon as Akaashi had heard the news he had breathed a sigh of relief. This entire time he had been secretly worried about Tendou deciding to ditch the plan and just live his life as a free man. Nothing was stopping him from doing that, but Akaashi was glad that he had been loyal. 

After that Kuroo had told them that the organization had agreed to lend them some help. A few of their members would aid in their escape. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. Kuroo had reported that Tendou had relayed everything they’d planned, and the organization was fine so far with going along to their plan without any changes, which made it a lot easier on the communications side of things.

"Are you feeling better now, Akaashi?" 

Akaashi turned at the sound of Bokuto-san's voice.

"What do you mean?" 

“Well, you were kinda worried about Tendou coming back right? So now you don’t have to worry any more.” Bokuto-san sent him a smile, and Akaashi felt a pang in his chest at Bokuto-san’s thoughtfulness. 

“I suppose so,” Akaashi returned the smile. It still astounded him how easily Bokuto-san could piece together information and read a person’s emotional state. Akaashi could always count on him to pick up on when he was feeling stressed or upset.

“How do you stay so carefree all the time?” Akaashi sighed, slumping back against the wall. Bokuto-san hummed quietly, fingers tapping on his chin while he thought of an answer.

“I mean, I guess I just take what life throws at me? I don’t think there’s too much point dwelling in the past or future because the only thing we can truly control is the present. So, why not make the most of what’s happening right now? If you always dwell in what happens in the future or the past, then all of your memories are going to be of you worrying about pointless things that you can’t control." 

Akaashi paused, a soft smile gracing his features. Of course, that ideology fitted Bokuto-san perfectly.

“I see. I suppose I tend to be more concerned about the future.” He replied, looking up at the sky. 

“Well, that’s perfectly fine too Akaashi! You’re a really good planner, and foresight is always helpful, y’know? You’re amazing the way you are.”

Akaashi couldn’t help the heat starting to travel to his cheeks at the compliment. He cleared his throat.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san. Your character is also wonderful the way it is.” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around to stare at Akaashi.

“Do you really mean it?” 

“Of course, Bokuto-san. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” 

“Oh, thanks!” Bokuto grinned, “It’s just… some people have said that I can be overbearing and annoying, so…” 

“I can assure you I don’t find you annoying.” 

“That- that means a lot to me Akaashi. Thank you.” Bokuto looked at Akaashi with misty eyes, and the latter sent him a fond smile in response. 

If Akaashi’s heart started to beat just that little bit faster, no one had to know.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

A few days later, Kenma and Akaashi sat in their cells. It was almost time for bed, but they had a few minutes before the guards ordered them to sleep.

“So… Bokuto, huh?” Kenma murmured into the quiet air.

“What about him?” 

“You like him.” 

“Well- of course. He’s a wonderful person and an amazing friend-” 

“I mean romantically.” 

“I,” Akaashi sighed softly, “Yes, I suppose I do. He’s… He reminds me of the sun. He’s so bright… and even though he’s a little childish at times-” 

Kenma snorted. Akaashi raised an eyebrow at him, and Kenma gestured for him to continue.

“Even though he may be a little childish at times, his energy is truly unmatched-”

“In bed?”

_**“Kozume-san.”** _

“You set yourself up for that one.” 

Akaashi sighed, but even so he couldn’t stop the tiny smile that appeared on his face. Akaashi was tempted to laugh, relishing in the carefree atmosphere that rested between them.

“His presence lights up the room. I think… someone like that allows me to relax… and reminds me that there’s more to life than all the serious objectives that I grew up around. He reminds me that it’s good to live in the moment, sometimes.” 

“Sappy.” Kenma muttered.

“You’re the one who asked. Anyway, what about you and Kuroo-san? Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” 

Kenma was grateful for the cover of darkness to hide the growing blush on his face.

“There’s nothing-”

“Kenma-san, we both know that’s a lie.” 

“... Kuro makes me feel safe,” Kenma looked at his lap, fingers fiddling with the cloth of his pants.

“He’s really nice, and makes me feel at ease. It’s not exhausting to be around him, which is kinda rare since I’m not a big fan of… people. It’s actually fun… He’s funny, and he’s smart, which is great, and… he gets my humour. Not a lot of people do.”

Akaashi looked up at the window, the slightest hint of moonlight coming through the tiny gap.

“I guess we both found love in an unconventional situation.” Akaashi murmured thoughtfully.

“Yeah, and on top of that we both fell for criminals.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa I'm so sorry this took a while! Unfortunately this week is going to be rather busy for me so I don't know how much I'll be able to write :( but I'll promise I'll do my best to get the next chapter out when I can!  
> Thank you for everyone's kind comments and support :)  
> Enjoy!

He couldn’t do it.

He was going crazy. 

It’s been over a year since he’s killed.

Each passing day made him more jittery, more irritated, and less focused. 

At the start, killing was a way for him to relax, to feel like he still had some semblance of control of his life, but over time it slowly morphed into something akin to an addiction.

Akaashi knew the escape was a slow plan. It was a plan that required months if not years to complete, but every passing second in this terrible place was making Akaashi want to throw himself out a window. 

The entirety of the scheme at this point was in the hands of the organization. There was nothing he could do other than wait for them to carry out their portion of the plan. Not to mention the growing feelings for Bokuto-san were starting to freak Akaashi out. 

He wasn’t used to being unable to control his emotions like this. It was always so easy to suppress his smiles, his inner feelings… but with Bokuto-san it was so much more difficult. Everything was new to Akaashi regarding these types of feelings, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

Six months before their planned escape night, he snapped. 

He was in the shower when he spotted a thin shard of tile in the corner of his shower stall. He eyed it curiously, eyes darting over to one of the inmates showering not far from him. 

The danger of the entire situation barely registered in his brain as he picked up the tile shard, the jagged edges a sharp contrast against his soft skin.

It only took a few moments. A well-aimed slash of his arm to have the shard embedded in his victim’s neck, the man’s startled gurgle sounded throughout the shower room as he sunk to his knees, grasping desperately at the shard in his neck. 

It was nearly unrecognizable, the wild gleam in Akaashi’s eyes as he took out the shard and stabbed the man once more, letting the harsh pounding of the water wash away the copious amounts of blood that were still pouring out of the wounds. He stood there, breathing heavily, letting the water batter down on him. The bloody corpse of his victim lay on the shower floor as he turned around to face the rest of the inmates, their faces frozen in mortification.

“If you don’t want to be next, then keep your mouths shut.” Akaashi stated, his icy voice cutting the tense atmosphere. Everyone understood that it wasn’t just a statement.

It was a promise.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

 _fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck._ Akaashi panicked internally as he quickly exited the showers. He had made sure none of the blood had remained on his body, and that the tile he had touched was thoroughly battered with the heavy onslaught of water from the showerhead, destroying any traces of his fingerprints. He had also turned off the shower and placed the bleeding wound over the drain hole to avoid suspicion from the guards for as long as possible.

He couldn’t believe he had just _murdered_ in prison. 

Everything had been going so smoothly. His integration into here, the relationships he’d made had been pretty easygoing, he hadn’t been challenged much by other inmates…

And now he had just gone and fucked it all up.

His hands were gripping each other so tightly that it hurt, and only when he reluctantly uncurled them from each other did he realize that his hands were shaking. 

It had simultaneously made him feel both better and worse at the same time. On one hand, it had taken the edge off. He had been itching to kill again, which Akaashi was beginning to despise. He was starting to simply kill for the rush, the excitement it brought him, but it didn’t make him feel better as it did before. Previously it had been to get a grip on himself, to make him feel like he had some semblance of control over his life.

Now it just felt like he killed because… he wanted to. There didn’t feel like a proper reason anymore. This kill was extremely sloppy. There was no thought put into it. He didn’t even register going in for it. 

If any of the witnesses decided to rat him out to the guards, he was done for. 

“Hey Akaashi- oh, what’s up?” Bokuto asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. Akaashi let out a shaky breath.

“Nothing, nothing.” He muttered. Bokuto-san didn’t need to be involved in this. The more people involved, the more likely he was to be caught. Bokuto regarded him for a moment longer before a smile appeared on his face as he chattered about how he saw a pretty bird in the yard today, which was rather rare. 

His eyes kept darting to the inmates around them throughout the day, wondering if any of them had ratted him out or at least spread the word about what he did. A few of them had looked at him with wary glances, quickly averting their gaze when he made eye contact, only making Akaashi more anxious.

It appeared that news was spreading relatively quickly, but the word hadn’t seemed to reach the guards yet, which Akaashi was thankful for. However, with the news spreading, the chances of someone ratting him out were only climbing. 

If the guards found out he was the one who killed, nothing would save him. Everything he would have worked for would be taken from him.

When he met up with the group for dinner and saw the look on their faces, his heart dropped as dread filled his body. 

_They knew._

“Akaashi-” Kuroo started, but then averted his gaze, falling silent, looking unsure.

“Is it true, Akaashi?” Kenma regarded him with those sharp eyes. Akaashi sighed as he sat down. 

“Yes.” He murmured, causing Bokuto and Kuroo to flinch minutely.

“Why? Why’d you do it, Akaashi?” Bokuto muttered, not looking him in the eye. It left a stinging feeling in his chest, seeing the wary expressions on their faces, when just earlier this morning they were all passing jokes around as if they’d known each other their whole lives.

“I didn’t mean to,” Akaashi began softly, only to be met with the disbelieving stare of Kuroo.

“ _Didn’t mean to?_ You slashed his throat open! How could you not _mean to_ -”

“Kuro, let’s listen to him first.” Kenma said sternly. Kuroo scowled, but fell silent. 

“It… it just happened. One minute I was just holding the tile and the next… the person was on the floor… bleeding out.” His eyes were downcast, voice hushed. 

“That’s not an excuse, Akaashi. That was a whole life that you just took. What if he had a wife at home? Kids waiting for him?” Bokuto asked, his eyes forlorn. Akaashi sucked in a sharp breath.

“I’m simply stating the truth. You’ve known I killed before, no?” 

“Well, yeah. I guess I just… thought it was more of a one time thing? You’re nothing like the other murderers here so I thought…” 

“What do you mean I’m nothing like them? It’s not like I’m friendly or anything. Rather, I’ve been told I’m the opposite. You approached me, which I still don’t really know why you did.” 

Bokuto’s shoulders slumped, and Akaashi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy. 

“That doesn’t mean I regret it, though.” He added quietly. 

“I think we were all a little biased in thinking that anyone in our group has proper morals.” Kenma stated, picking at his food.

"What if the guards find out?" Kuroo grunted. Akaashi turned to him solemnly.

"If the guards find out, then I'll likely be moved to a higher security prison. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Then we gotta make sure they don't!" Bokuto declared, thumping his fist on the table, causing their cutlery to clatter as they were rattled from the force. His face was set in determination, and anyone who looked at him knew he wasn't going to change his mind.

"I appreciate the gesture, Bokuto-san, but perhaps you guys should just-" 

"No, Akaashi! We won't be leaving you behind. We're all in this together, right guys?" Bokuto turned to Kenma and Kuroo, his steely gaze fixated on them. 

Kenma gave a little nod. Kuroo was silent for a moment before sending a firm nod in response as well.

“It’s all or nothing. You’re staying with us.”


	16. Chapter 16

Kuroo and Bokuto had just finished their latest work shift, and were heading back to the cafeteria for lunch when they overheard a few inmates who were on their freetime talking in their cells. 

“Did you hear about what happened in the showers yesterday?” 

“Yeah, that scary guy, right? I don’t remember his name…” 

“Was it like… Adashi or something?” 

“Close enough. He’s really scary though. I mean, I heard that he came and instantly got accepted into the terrifying trio’s pack? No one’s done that before...”

“Yeah, and he’s always so quiet… You can never tell what he’s thinking. What if he’s plotting all of our murders right now?” 

“Right? And you heard about what he did in the first few weeks he got here right? He beat up _Kuroo_. This dude’s fucking terrifying. I’m gonna rat him out though. There’s no way he can go against the guards, and if he’s taken away he won’t be scary anymore.” 

Kuroo winced and swallowed down his pride. He did _not_ get beat up, thank you very much. He was just… tossed on the floor a bit. 

Both of them slowly walked over to the cell, their shadows looming over the two inmates who turned to look at them with wide, fearful eyes. 

“Hey _**buddy**_ , wanna say what you just said again? Don’t think I quite heard you right.” Kuroo sneered, a cruel grin on his face. One of them let out a pitiful squeak of terror.

“If you think you’re going to be able to get away in trying to get rid of _Akaashi_ , then you have another thing coming.” Bokuto said coldly, cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

“Shit man, I- I was just joking! I wasn’t actually gonna do it-” The inmate stammered, the blood draining from his face. Kuroo let out a scoff.

“Sure. We’ll see. Just know that if you do, you’re in for a world worse than hell.” He snarled, narrowing his eyes before both he and Bokuto sauntered away towards the cafeteria, leaving the trembling inmates behind.

Once they were both out of earshot, Kuroo pressed his lips together, mouth curving up into a smile before letting out a small snicker. Bokuto grinned at him before bursting out laughing, Kuroo following suit. The both of them cackled loudly, laughing so hard their stomachs began to ache as they made it to the cafeteria.

“Did you see his face-” Kuroo guffawed, taking a deep inhale to try and get his breathing back to normal. They gradually stopped laughing after several minutes, stepping into the cafeteria and lining up behind the queue of inmates to get their lunch. They spotted Kenma and Akaashi already seated at the table. Bokuto’s cheerful demeanor dampened when he saw the troubled look on Akaashi’s face. 

"Akaashi! Kenma! What's wrong?" Bokuto asked, sliding into one of the seats. Kenma eyed him for a moment, before glancing towards Akaashi to let him explain. 

"I fucked up, with the whole kill thing. If they catch me I’m dead." Akaashi muttered, putting his head in his hands. Kenma eyed Kuroo curiously, because the latter seemed to have a minute scowl on his face.

“I put you all in danger too, with the plan and everything. I would like to formally apologize for my actions.” Akaashi stated solemnly. 

“We all make mistakes, Akaashi. We’ll all do our best to make sure this thing blows over and you’re not caught.” Bokuto murmured quietly, making sure to keep his voice down in case anyone was listening in. Akaashi had become a topic of interest for a number of the inmates here after what he had done. 

Akaashi voiced his appreciation for Bokuto’s response. They continued lunch in relative silence, Akaashi not being keen on eating his food.

Later that evening, Kenma approached Kuroo before bedtime, taking in his tense form. 

“Kuro.” 

The man in question turned around to see the younger male looking up at him, golden eyes locked onto his own.

“Kenma. What’s up?” Kuroo smiled, some of the tension melting away from his shoulders.

“Something wrong? You seemed… off. Since lunch.” 

Kuroo let out a sharp breath, brow furrowing as he looked to the side. 

“I’m- You don’t have to worry about me.” 

“I will, whether you tell me or not. You’re my friend.” Kenma stated seriously, not taking his eyes off Kuroo. The latter met Kenma’s gaze before darting to the floor. The word _friend_ rang in his head.

“It’s just-” He sighed, “I’m just not happy with Akaashi right now, I guess. He messed up bad. I know he apologized and whatnot but the way he described what happened… like he basically blacked out while doing it… doesn’t sit right with me. Who knows if he’s going to do it again? Who knows if he’ll do it to one of _us?_ He really put the entire plan in jeopardy even though he was the one who was the most keen on it, and Bokuto is so far up Akaashi’s ass he’s willing to do anything to make him happy.”

Kenma was quiet for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle, startling Kuroo. 

“You forget the things people do for love.” The smile on Kenma’s face was small, but Kuroo couldn’t help the wave of fondness that overtook him. The small upturn of Kenma’s lips, the sparkle in his eyes that showed his enjoyment, and the way he tried to hide his smile behind the curtains of his hair had Kuroo completely enamoured in the other man’s beauty.

“Besides, Akaashi likes him too, so I don’t think there’s much harm in letting them get closer.” Kenma added quietly, jolting Kuroo out of his staring.

_“What?!”_

“Oh,” Kenma blinked, “I thought you knew.” 

“No? Since when-” 

“A long time. Anyway, as much as I agree that Bokuto’s a little obsessed, we promised to stick with Akaashi the entire time, and you know Bokuto’s not going to let Akaashi go.” 

“He’s dangerous.” 

“We’re _all_ dangerous. You’re forgetting that everyone here is a criminal.” 

Kuroo’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly, and Kenma let out a soft sigh.

“Why do you seem to dislike Akaashi so much?”

“I don’t dislike him. It’s just…” Kuroo trailed off, not knowing how to express his thoughts.

“Is this pertaining to Bokuto?” Kenma guessed, golden eyes searching Kuroo’s hazel ones. 

“Fuck,” Kuroo muttered, pausing for a moment to mull things over in his head, “yeah I guess so. How do you know all these things?”

“Just… intuition, I suppose.” 

“The thing is… Bokuto’s like my brother, you know? So obviously if this pretty boy comes in and suddenly steals his heart without really doing anything I’m going to be worried for him. Akaashi’s incredibly intelligent, he really has the ability to hurt Bokuto.”

“Do you really think he would, though?” Kenma raised an eyebrow slightly. If Kuroo continued to have this bias against Akaashi, their teamwork would be on shaky legs, which was something they couldn’t afford. 

“Not… anymore. At first? Yes. I knew he was using us and our connection to get out of here. I thought he was preying on Bokuto’s feelings to get favours, in all honesty. However, if it’s true that he had feelings for Bokuto all along… then I don’t have to worry as much, I suppose. Even though Akaashi doesn’t seem like the kind of person for a relationship.” Kuroo admitted. Kenma sent him a nod of approval. Kuroo sent him a soft smile in return.

“Thank you for checking in on me, Kenma.” 

“It’s… nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Kenma muttered, turning away. Kuroo couldn’t help the pleased feeling in his chest, seeing the tips of Kenma’s ears turn red as he hid his face.

“Oi. You two. Get to bed. Line up.” A guard snapped at them. They both startled at the sound, bowing deeply in apology before marching in a line towards their cells for the night. 

That night, Kenma dreamed of Kuroo’s gentle smile, soothing voice, and captivating hazel eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all of your lovely comments on the previous chapter!! I love reading your comments <3

It was not too long after when Kuroo relayed the news that a week after Tendou’s next visit would be the escape day. 

The news came like a blow in the gut for Akaashi. He sucked in a sharp breath when Kuroo had spoken. 

This was it.

The final stretch.

Soon, he would either be free, or severely punished for trying.

The past few weeks had been terrifying. The guards had obviously found the bloodied body in the showers, and the prison had practically been on lockdown for a while. They were questioned multiple times, but miraculously no one had ratted him out, likely thanks to Bokuto and Kuroo's intimidating presence and threats. 

Apparently one of the inmates had gotten framed for it. Akaashi felt a bit bad, but ultimately everyone here likely did something illegal and probably deserved some form of punishment anyway, so it didn't linger in his brain for too long. 

It was a bit later when Bokuto admitted he and Kuroo had worked together with the other inmates to pin the blame on someone else. The target they had chosen had been in the showers at the same time, and was a convicted pedophile and murderer. 

If one knows anything about prison, it’s that the rapists and pedophiles were the low of the low, the scum of the earth. It hadn’t taken too much convincing to get the majority of the prison to willingly frame the guy, because no one wanted him around. In exchange, Kuroo and Bokuto said they wouldn’t beat them up. Even Kenma had worked up the courage to break through his social anxiety and had gone around working with some of the other inmates and getting them to agree to their plan.

Akaashi would never admit it, but the effort that the others had put in for him nearly had him in tears. Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma had worked tirelessly, using up all their free block periods going around and making sure that no one would rat him out.

Loyalty wasn’t a word that was often used in his vocabulary. He worked alone, and had always been alone. That was how he was raised, how he viewed the world. It was every man for himself. That was the mentality he had brought with him into this prison. 

To see how far Bokuto and the others would go for him, to protect him, was something he had never experienced before.

The way Bokuto looked at him with those wide, glittering eyes, the never ending smile that brightened the room, how he always put others first, had Akaashi wondering how a man with a heart of gold could possibly be a criminal. 

They could have all just dropped him and left him to his fate. It’s not like he was needed for the plan at this point. All that was left was to actually escape, in which Bokuto, Kenma, and Kuroo could easily do on their own.

Kuroo had said that on the night of the escape, the hacker in the organization would override the system, causing all the locks on the cells as well as the other doors to unlock. At the same time, another group would cause a commotion on the opposite side of the prison, hopefully causing a majority of the guards to run there. While that occurred, it would be up to the four of them to escape through the wall at the yard. A helicopter would be waiting for them there, but the window of opportunity was extremely small.

In all honesty, it was a very poorly constructed plan, but it was their only shot.

“Hey hey Akaashi!” Bokuto called out during one of their work periods. They were cleaning up the yard outside. 

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi greeted with a small smile. 

“Have you thought about… y’know… after?” 

“Are you asking about what I’m going to do?”

“Yeah.”

Akaashi paused, looking at the ground, “I suppose I’ll just lay low for a while.” 

“Would- would you wanna come with us?” Bokuto asked, a slight tremor in his voice as he looked at Akaashi with wide eyes. 

“I- Are you sure?” Akaashi asked in surprise. 

“Of course.” Bokuto grinned, and Akaashi’s breath left his body for a minute, looking at his brilliant, dazzling smile that had his chest feeling warm and fuzzy.

“Then, if you’ll have me, that would be great.” Akaashi bowed his head slightly in thanks, not wanting to alert the guards of any suspicious activity. “I don’t dabble in drugs though, Bokuto-san.” 

“Oh, that’s fine. It’s more than just drugs. I’m sure there will be something that suits you.” He chirped in reply, leaving Akaashi slightly confused. Before he could ask, they were herded by the guards in line to their next activity block.

The next day, Kuroo received a visit from Tendou. 

Akaashi began counting down the days. 7 more to go.

〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

Kenma sighed softly as he helped Kuroo clean the kitchen. It was late at night. They had been assigned an extra shift- just the two of them, for that one time where they had talked just a little too late and the guard had told them to head to bed. The guard that was on shift for them just told them to do whatever, as long as there was progress he wouldn’t bother them. 

“Kenma? Something on your mind?” Kuroo asked softly as he came to stand next to him, putting away some dishes. Kenma dropped his gaze to the spoon in his hand, not wanting to meet Kuroo’s gaze. As the latter reached up to put away the dishes, he could feel the heat from his body. 

“No, no. I’m fine.” Kenma murmured, turning away to grab a cloth to wipe the counter. Kuroo paused for a moment, a small frown on his face.

“...Okay. If you don’t want to share, that’s fine, but I’m here if you need, like how you were for me.” 

Kenma was silent for a moment before speaking, “Can I ask… why did you start hanging out with me?” 

Kuroo let out a startled noise, nearly dropping the plate in his hands. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you guys obviously introduced yourselves for _Akaashi._ Why did you let me into the group? I haven’t done anything to help you guys. I can’t even… help with the whole intimidating others thing for Akaashi’s sake. I’m useless.”

“Kenma- no.” Kuroo frowned, “You’re not useless. You found our route, remember? You were observant enough to notice all the footholds we could use, even though all of us have been in that very place many times before.” 

Kenma paused his wiping of the counter, letting Kuroo’s words sink in for a moment.

“And… I really like hanging out with you, so you’re definitely not useless.” Kuroo added softly. Kenma parted his lips in shock, before turning away to try and hide the warmth climbing to his cheeks. His heart thudded in his chest, suddenly so much louder than before.

“So, are you gonna come with us? After the whole… thing is over?” Kuroo asked quietly, standing close to Kenma and making sure the guard didn’t overhear anything.

“You mean… your drug thing?” 

“Well… it’s not just drugs.” 

“I gathered as much. You don’t need a hacker for a drug organization.” 

“I mean you never know, but… smart.” 

“Thanks.” 

“So… you wanna come?” 

“... Okay.” 

A pleased grin rested on Kuroo’s face as he turned around to tend to the other side of the kitchen, “Great. Everyone will love you.” 

Kenma paused momentarily, the sudden realization of having to meet so many new people dawning on him. He pursed his lips and took in a breath, telling himself everything would be fine.

Everything would be just _fine_.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape Day~ !

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer chapter than usual :p I had a lot of fun writing this one.  
> This prison is also most definitely fictional lmao, there's no way this is an actual possibility in real life.

5 days remain. Kuroo recites what’s going to happen on the night of the escape to the group, making sure everyone understands.

3 days remain. Akaashi reminds everyone exactly how they will move, what order they will go in, and where they will meet. 

Kenma is nervous, but doesn’t show it.

2 days remain. Akaashi is extremely close to biting his nails raw. He’s antsy. He hopes none of the guards notice.

1 day remained. Everyone was rather silent at lunch and dinner. Even Bokuto was no longer as cheery as he was previously.

0 days remain. Tonight, they’re breaking free.

Quietly, Akaashi thanked everyone during breakfast for being there for him. He’s never had friends like this before. Even Kuroo started to get emotional, and he silently apologized for judging Akaashi so harshly in the beginning. 

That night, they were herded into their cells like usual. They got into their beds, and heard the click of their cells being locked.

Akaashi was nearly vibrating with anticipation, his stomach nearly feeling sick with nerves. What if the organization decided to back out suddenly? Or if they had failed in unlocking their doors somehow?

It was nearly an hour after curfew when a loud _boom_ sounded from the other side of the prison, the sound so loud it woke nearly all of the other inmates. The sound rattled the floors, and Akaashi could feel the tremors of vibration in the ground.

There was the distraction.

Murmurs of the other inmates broke out instantly, questioning what was happening. They could faintly hear the yelling and thundering footsteps of the guards as they ran toward the distraction. Akaashi exhaled slowly. 

A few seconds later, a loud _click_ sounded, along with a buzzer. The doors swung open. Akaashi reached for the lock on their cells. The cell doors slid open without resistance, and he bolted out of there, Kenma on his tail. 

Soon, the other prisoners realized that their cell doors were unlocked, and started getting out as well. Many of them ran towards the main prison entrance, where they knew that there would be a sure way to escape. Akaashi and Kenma shoved through the crowd, running in the opposite direction. 

Kenma spotted Kuroo’s messy black hair further along in the crowd, his tall frame followed closely by Bokuto.

A guard shouted at them, reaching out to grab Kenma’s arm, who’s eyes widened in fear before he was being yanked harshly away. Akaashi had a firm grip on his upper arm as they continued to run towards the yard. 

Everything was chaos. Guards were yelling and shouting, using force to try and contain the prisoners. Some of the prisoners were fighting back, throwing punches at the guards.

A couple of the guards were starting to close the doors leading to the yard, but Kuroo and Bokuto reached them, taking a few moments to punch them in the jaw, causing the guards to stumble backwards. One of the guards knocked his head against the doorframe, passing out. The other guard couldn’t handle facing both Kuroo and Bokuto at once, effectively getting knocked out. Akaashi and Kenma reached the door and slipped by, running through the yard to the wall at the end. 

The night was dark and windy, the howling of the wind partially drowning out the commotion inside the prison. The four of them could hear the loud whirring of a helicopter somewhere overhead.

Kuroo and Bokuto caught up with them after closing the doors leading to the yard to stall the guards for as long as possible. Kuroo had a split lip, and Bokuto had a couple bruises starting to form on his arms, but other than that they didn’t seem to be very injured. 

Kuroo started first, taking a running leap and managing to grip the top of the wall, pulling himself up with his arms before shuffling around. 

Kenma went next, running and jumping just enough to grab onto Kuroo’s outstretched arm, allowing the other to pull him up next to him. 

Akaashi managed to jump next, easily gripping the top of the wall and pulling himself up. 

Bokuto bolted into a running jump just as the doors burst open, revealing two more guards who shouted at them to stop. Akaashi watched in terror as one of the guards shot their taser, the probes barely missing Bokuto’s legs by a few centimetres. Kuroo and Kenma were already shuffling along the wall towards the gap in the barbed wire fence, where the helicopter was waiting for them. They were going to have to climb onto the helicopter via a rope ladder.

The guards were already aiming again with tasers and if Akaashi’s vision served him correctly, guns. A sudden gunshot startled all of them, only to see one of the guards collapse to the floor. There was a sniper inside of the helicopter. Akaashi could just make out wisps of brown hair. 

“Hurry up!” Kuroo called out to them, already reaching out to grab the ladder.

Bokuto clambered on top of the wall, shuffling along the sides with Akaashi to climb over the barbed wire fence. Kuroo had made it up onto the helicopter, the sniper still firing shots at the guards. 

The helicopter was so loud, Akashi felt like his ears were ready to explode. He gripped the ladder after Kenma, feeling the vibrations of the helicopter as he touched it. Climbing onto the ladder, he could feel it sway under his weight, causing him to clench his fists until his knuckles turned white, a sudden wave of terror flooding through him. This was not the time to let fear overtake him.

Bokuto grabbed the ladder after Akaashi, beginning to clamber up. The helicopter began its ascent up now that all of them were on the ladder or in the helicopter. 

Akaashi managed to reach the top of the ladder. An outstretched hand pulled him up, and Akaashi was face to face with a man with tanned skin, green eyes, and spiky hair. He nodded to Akaashi, before turning back, about to reach for Bokuto. 

The sound of Bokuto’s sudden yelp had Akaashi whipping his head to turn to him. Bokuto was hanging by one harm, having lost his footing on the ladder. His other shoulder was quickly turning red. He had been shot by one of the guards.

“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi exclaimed, leaning down to reach for the man, nearly falling out of the helicopter himself. He met Bokuto’s golden eyes, and seeing the fear on his face had Akaashi’s heart lurching.

“Oikawa! I thought you had them!” The man with green eyes snapped. The sniper scowled in reply.

“I got them Iwa-chan. Don’t worry about it. Help Bokuto.” He hissed before firing another shot. 

"Tendou, get us away from here." Kuroo barked out. Akaashi nearly missed the redhead sitting in the driver's seat of the helicopter. Tendou gave a thumbs up before they started moving, the turn of the helicopter nearly causing Akaashi to stumble over. 

'Iwa-chan', as he was called, started pulling up the ladder, telling Akaashi to hold it while he reached for Bokuto to pull him up. Kuroo aided him in pulling Bokuto up into the helicopter, the latter breathing heavily as he sat on the floor, gripping his shoulder harshly, the blood soaking his clothes as each second passed by. His face was scrunched up in agony, teeth clenched together impossibly tight.

“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi gasped, rushing over to kneel at his side, eyes darting between the wound and his face. He curled his hands into fists, frustrated over the fact that he couldn’t do much to help.

“Iwaizumi.” Kuroo called, Akaashi looked up curiously to see the green-eyed man coming over with a first aid kit.

“I’m on it, Kuroo.” Iwaizumi muttered, opening up the case and taking out a long gauze wrap, gently removing Bokuto’s hand from his wound before wrapping it up with the gauze, making sure the wound had a constant pressure on it to slow the bleeding. He wrapped the gauze around his shoulder and chest, pressing Bokuto’s arm against his side to make sure he didn’t move the injured arm. 

Bokuto was breathing heavily, a burning pain rushing from his shoulder to the rest of his body. He leaned his head back against the wall of the vehicle, eyelids slowly starting to flutter closed.

“Shit- Bokuto stay with me.” Iwaizumi hissed, taking out a blanket from the first aid kit and wrapping it around the other man. Bokuto opened his eyes blearily before his gaze focused on Akaashi, who was watching him with anxious eyes.

“‘Kaashi.” He mumbled, reaching out with his uninjured arm. His hand came to rest gently on Akaashi’s cheek, the latter feeling the wet, sticky smear of blood on his skin. Akaashi swallowed thickly, feeling the prickle of tears as he gently caressed the hand on his face. His heart felt like it was going to explode. All of his feelings for the other man rushed into him at once, causing his hand to tremble slightly. Bokuto’s hand was covered in his blood from where he had been holding his wound, but Akaashi didn’t care.

“Pretty,” was all that Bokuto whispered with a gentle smile, his breath soft and light, before his eyelids slowly started drooping closed. Akaashi’s eyes widened in panic.

“Bokuto-san- please, stay awake.” He begged, holding the other’s blood slicked hand in his own. Bokuto's eyelids gave one more gentle flutter, as if he was trying to open them, before they closed fully, his body starting to go limp.

“Fuckin- shit. Tendou, speed up. He’s out of it.” Iwaizumi scowled, brows knit together in concentration. Oikawa said something to his communicator, calling for medical aid when they landed. Tendou gave a noise of confirmation to Iwaizumi and before long, they were landing on the roof of a large building, several people already waiting for them. 

“Don’t move him, let Yaku-san treat him first.” Iwaizumi told them as a short man with light brown hair bustled in with a briefcase.

“Report?” He asked.

“Shot in the shoulder. Minimal aggravation after, we let him rest in the helicopter and I bandaged the wound just to stop the flow of blood. Blanket for shock.” Iwaizumi replied swiftly. The man nodded before beginning to tend to Bokuto. Akaashi was frozen in place, heart pounding in his chest and ears, barely registering Kenma gently tugging him out of the helicopter.

“Will he be okay?” Akaashi fretted, desperately looking to anything, anyone, to provide him an answer.

The man Akaashi believed was called Yaku replied to him, “He should be okay, but I can't promise anything. It’s serious, but you got here fast. Only time will tell.” 

“Come on Akaashi, let’s get you cleaned up.” Kuroo’s voice broke him out of his heavy thoughts, and only then did Akaashi register the other man’s hand on his shoulder, gently guiding him inside the building. 

He cast one last glance at Bokuto's body, resting on the floor of the helicopter. His clothes stained a dark crimson, eyes closed shut. He could barely make out the shallow rise and fall of the other’s chest, the only real thing indicating that he was still alive. Akaashi closed his eyes before turning around and following Kuroo and Kenma inside, his stomach feeling queasy with anticipation.

Only time would tell.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize that this chapter took a long time. School's started up again and has really left me no free time :(  
> This is mainly a filler chapter

“Hey, I know you’re worried about him, but he’s in good hands. Yaku-san won’t rest until he’s okay. He’s the best doctor we’ve got here.” 

Akaashi was jolted out of his fretting by the words of the green-eyed man who tended to Bokuto earlier. He nodded slightly, trying to take breaths to calm himself down.

“I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, nice to meet you.” Iwaizumi stated. Akaashi bowed his head in respect.

“Akaashi Keiji. Thank you for tending to Bokuto-san earlier.” His voice came out like a harsh whisper. He swallowed, still feeling his nervousness throughout his body.

“No problem. I’m only certified for basic first aid, so I’m nowhere near a professional doctor, but it does help.” 

“Iwa-chan! Mattsun wants to know if you- oh,” The brown haired sniper from earlier stopped when he saw Akaashi. He eyed him for a moment before breaking out into a wide grin, “Hello! Akaashi, right? I’m Oikawa Tooru. Nice to meet you!” 

“Nice to meet you too, Oikawa-san. Thank you for your service from today.” Akaashi bowed his head in greeting. Oikawa waved him off.

“No need to be so formal Aka-chan!” He smiled. Akaashi flinched internally at the nickname. Iwaizumi elbowed the other man, causing him to yelp and pout as he rubbed his side.

“I’m sorry for him,” Iwaizumi sighed. Oikawa just rolled his eyes in response, draping his arms around Iwaizumi and leaning his weight on him.

“You love me though.” 

“Unfortunately.” 

Akaashi’s eyes darted back and forth between the two. They were dating, apparently? He caught Oikawa’s sharp gaze. Something about his look unsettled Akaashi. He took in the way the man was draped over Iwaizumi, eyeing Akaashi.

_Possessive_ was the first vibe he got from him, but there was also something else underneath it. He knew this man wouldn't hesitate to ruin your life if you wronged him. Akaashi simply regarded him back with a neutral stare, too exhausted to deal with whatever challenge Oikawa was declaring. 

“May I be notified when I can visit Bokuto-san as soon as possible?” He asked quietly, his hands coming to touch each other in the way they always did when he was nervous. He stiffened at the feel of slick, sticky blood, and only then did he remember that he hadn’t cleaned himself up yet. 

Iwaizumi eyed his hands, letting out a sigh before responding, “Sure. Let's get you checked out and cleaned up first. Come, I'll take you to the infirmary bay." 

Akaashi nodded and followed Iwaizumi as he walked through the numerous hallways. Oikawa followed behind them. At the infirmary, a young man by the name of Shibayama checked Akaashi over, confirming that there were no serious injuries. He was then allotted a shower and given a change of clothes, finally free of the disgusting prison uniform.

Once he was dressed, Kuroo and Kenma were waiting for him. Kenma was already dressed in different clothes, and he stood close to Kuroo, his hair covering his face and his head tilted downwards.

“Hey Akaashi,” Kuroo greeted, “How are you holding up?”

Akaashi sucked in a breath, “I’m worried about Bokuto-san, but I suppose other than that I’m okay. How about yourself and Kenma-san?”

Kuroo’s gaze darted down to Kenma before looking back at Akaashi, “Neither of us are hurt, so that’s a good thing. I think we’re all just a bit shaken up from what happened to Bokuto.” 

"Hey, sorry to interrupt but if you're done then we can show you both to a temporary room where you can stay? You should probably rest after that ordeal." Iwaizumi stated, causing everyone's eyes to turn to him. Kuroo nodded in agreement. 

“Rest first, and we’ll discuss what’s happening after.” He agreed, beckoning them to follow. Kuroo led them to a small room with two single beds on opposite sides. It was plain, but at this point Akaashi didn’t care. He was just grateful that he got to rest. As much as he wanted to go see how Bokuto-san was doing, he knew that Yaku-san was working hard to help him recover, and that Akaashi would only get in the way if he tried to go visit.

He knew how to take lives, not save them.

\-------

The following day, they were awoken in the morning and provided breakfast before Kuroo and Iwaizumi sat them down and asked them a couple questions on if they wanted to join their organization or not.

It turns out that their “drug gang” was actually just a small part of a major Mafia organization that basically encompassed the entirety of Tokyo. They dabbled in drugs, weapon dealing, hitmen, and much more. Everything suddenly made a lot more sense, because it was extremely unlikely that a simple drug organization would have a helicopter or a hacker in their rankings. 

If they decided to join, they pledged their life and loyalty to the organization. They couldn’t step out unless they died. It was a lifelong commitment that fixated on working with the other members of the organization, which was something the old Akaashi would have been vehemently opposed to.

However… the old Akaashi didn’t know what it was like to have friends.

The old Akaashi… didn’t truly understand what it meant to care for someone.

In theory, he could say no. He could say no and continue living on as he did before prison. Perhaps he would even be allowed to meet with Bokuto every once in a while, even just as friends…

But he was a fugitive on the run at this point. He would be welcomed nowhere. No store, restaurant, or library would even allow him to step foot inside after his reputation as an escaped prisoner.

When he really thought about it, this organization was really an opportunity to find a place he could call home. 

A place that could accept him and his crazy urges.

Iwaizumi and Kuroo said that they could have a few days to think about it, but both Kenma and Akaashi ended up agreeing to joining anyway. 

After their agreement, Iwaizumi and Kuroo stated that they would be paired up with someone else from the organization to mentor and monitor their progress based on the sector they were placed in. The entire process would take a few weeks, but their training would only end when their mentor deemed them ready. This could take years, but it was something Akaashi was willing to do.

For now, they were just going to stay and recover. They would undergo training restricted solely to the mafia base they were currently in, since they weren’t allowed to show their face to society. Getting the approval from Nekomata-sama, who was the head of the mafia group, would be the first true step towards their integration here.

Tomorrow, they would start.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, it's been like 3 weeks haha  
> I'm going to say it now, but updates are probably going to come a lot slower than before, because school has really been taking up all my time :(  
> But I promise I'll finish the story, I have it all outlined <3  
> Also disclaimer: This is most definitely NOT how a mafia organization functions. It's completely fictional

The next morning, Kenma and Akaashi were given formal clothing to wear to meet Nekomata-sama. They were accompanied by Kuroo and Iwaizumi, along with a few other bodyguards. They were guided into a room where a man with greying hair and wrinkles adoring his face sat in a chair, many bodyguards flanked him, and even more were situated around the perimeter of the room. Akaashi even spotted Oikawa standing on the left side of the room, his gaze fixated forward, hands clasped in front of him. 

Iwaizumi introduced the both of them to Nekomata-sama, bowing deeply before Nekoma-sama nodded and gave an introductory speech on the rules and customs of the Mafia. 

They completed the ritual rather quickly, both Kenma and Akaashi pricking the tip of their finger with a pin, before pledging their loyalty to the group. 

A tall man with black hair parted in the middle and a bored expression stepped forward and stated that he would be mentoring Kenma in criminal technology, allowing him to use his skills in Information Technology to aid the organization. Kenma bowed to him in respect, before the man nodded and returned to his place. 

Then, Iwaizumi stepped forward and announced that he would be training Akaashi in weaponry and assassination. Akaashi swore he heard a sharp gasp from Oikawa, but when he looked over at the man, his face was as impassive as ever. Akaashi bowed to Iwaizumi, who nodded in return and stepped back into his spot. 

The meeting was adjourned quickly after that, and as soon as they stepped out of the room, Oikawa strode over to Iwaizumi, a concerned look on his face. 

"Iwa-chan…" 

"What?" 

"Are you- are you sure you wanna mentor again? You haven't taken on anyone since…" 

"I know, Oikawa, but…" Iwaizumi swallowed, taking a breath, "that was four years ago. Whatever happened in the past is something we have to put behind us." 

Oikawa looked down, a sad smile on his face. He met Iwaizumi's gaze once more, opening his mouth to say something.

"No. Don't," Iwaizumi said firmly, brow furrowing slightly.

"I didn't even-" Oikawa protested.

"I know what you were going to say. Don't. Stop feeling guilty about it." 

Akaashi eyed the two of them curiously. Clearly there was a past event that had likely caused some form of trauma involving Iwaizumi’s past apprentice. He didn’t pry into the issue, for it appeared like a private topic, but made a mental note about it, just in case it changed anything in the future.

He turned his attention to Kenma, who was talking with the man who had agreed to mentor him, along with Kuroo.

He later found out that the man’s name was Kunimi. He had been working in the communications and information technology sector for about 5 years now. 

When Akaashi had asked Kenma about his new mentor, the latter had said that they got along surprisingly well. He and Kunimi shared many similarities apparently. Akaashi was glad that Kenma was getting along, because he knew of the man’s aversion to people in general.

A few hours later, Iwaizumi had informed him that he was allowed to see Bokuto in the infirmary. He shot up, nearly knocking over the chair he had been previously sitting on, at the words. Iwaizumi sent him a small smile before beckoning Akaashi to follow him. 

They quickly strode over to the infirmary, where they were met by Yaku, the doctor, who stood in front of one of the rooms, presumably where Bokuto was. 

“You can visit him, but only 30 minutes max. He’s exhausted and very tired. He just woke up a couple hours ago.” 

“Can I ask what happened to him?” Akaashi asked, fidgeting minutely at the anticipation. Yaku sent him a quick nod.

“Bokuto was shot in the shoulder. The bullet pierced his brachial artery, a major blood vessel that caused intense blood loss. The survival window for blood loss of this type of injury is 5 to 60 minutes. Honestly, if you guys got here any later than you did,” Yaku’s serious eyes bore into Akaashi, “he wouldn’t have made it.” 

Akaashi felt his blood run cold, the realization washing over him. He sucked in a sharp breath before forcefully trying to swallow down the lump in his throat.

“Anyway, he’s fine. He’s stabilized for now. Just don’t let him move his arm for a while. I’m counting on you to regulate him. He gets excitable rather quickly.” Yaku regarded Akaashi for a moment before nodding to the both of them and briskly walking away into another room. Akaashi felt like deflating all of a sudden, staring at the ground, suddenly nervous to see Bokuto again.

“I’ll wait out here, but if anything happens I'm coming in.” Iwaizumi murmured. Akaashi sent him a grateful nod, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

The room was just as pale and bland as the rest of the infirmary. Everything felt incredibly sterile; monotone. His gaze fell on Bokuto’s resting form, his skin looking pale and dull. His left shoulder was bandaged up, secured against his chest, his arm in a sling. Bokuto perked up at the sight of Akaashi. 

“Akaashi!” He beamed, his face lighting up instantly. Akaashi smiled in return, stepping closer.

“Good evening, Bokuto-san. Please don’t move your arm, it’s very delicate at the moment.” 

“Oh,” Bokuto looked at his shoulder, frowning, “Yeah okay, thanks for the reminder. Yaku told me earlier but I was just happy to see you.” 

Akaashi’s heart clenched at the words. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, taking a seat on the chair next to the hospital bed. He was glad that Bokuto wanted to see him, because he had wanted to see Bokuto in return.

“How are you feeling?” 

“I’m okay! It aches. It’s kind of annoying not being able to move it, but I’m alive!” His eyes shone brightly, a brilliant grin on his face, “and I got to see Akaashi! Meaning that we made it out fine, right?” 

“Yes, Bokuto-san. Everything else went smoothly.” Akaashi said, glancing down at his fingers resting in his lap. He cleared his throat.

“Bokuto-san, I wanted to share some news with you.”

“Oh- good news?”

“I would say so, yes.” 

“Okay! Go ahead Akaashi!” 

“Kenma-san and I have agreed to join the organization. We had our initiation this morning.” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened to the sound of saucers, his body jerking up in excitement. A wave of panic washed over Akaashi.

“Bokuto-san, stay still! Don’t move your arm-” 

“That’s amazing Akaashi!” He exclaimed gleefully, “How’s everything? Do you like it here? Is everyone nice to you? They better be, or I’ll- punch them or something!”

“Everything has gone well, Bokuto-san. Please, calm down. You need rest.” Akaashi placed a hand on Bokuto’s uninjured shoulder, trying to get him to stop moving. 

Bokuto looked up at Akaashi, pausing to take in his eyes glittering with worry and anguish. 

“Akaashi…” 

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” 

“Are you alright?” 

Akaashi let out a small breath, turning his head away. He inhaled sharply before facing Bokuto again, feeling the pricking of tears building up behind his eyes, “I’m- I’m okay, Bokuto-san.” He winced at the break in his voice.

“‘Kaashi-” 

“No, I’m- I’m okay. I’ve just been worried about you.” He stared at the floor, fingers clasped together in front of him, “Yaku-san said you almost didn’t make it.” 

Bokuto looked down at his lap solemnly, the corners of his lips downturned, “I know. Yaku told me I was lucky you guys made it back quick.”

They sat in silence for a bit before Bokuto cleared his throat and looked at Akaashi.

“So! Akaashi, tell me about your initiation! How did it go?” 

Akaashi sent him a small smile before recounting the events of what had happened. He kept it brief, not diving in too deep on any particular details, since he was sure Bokuto himself had likely gone through this before as well.

They continued talking, conversation flowing easily, until the door opened, Yaku and Iwaizumi standing behind it.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Bokuto needs to rest now.” Yaku stated. Akaashi sent him a nod, bidding Bokuto a “goodbye for now” and a promise to visit him very soon, before following Iwaizumi out the door.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma chapter! :0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha hello, it's been a month since I last uploaded I apologize.  
> Also apologies in advance for the formatting, I'm trying something new. It's probably going to stay this way for the rest of the fic

Over the next few weeks, both Akaashi and Kenma worked tirelessly training with their new mentors. 

Akaashi had been accompanying Iwaizumi on smaller missions, usually just watching and being on the lookout for any possible interferences while observing the way Iwaizumi worked. 

Bokuto had still been recovering from his injury. Akaashi visited him regularly, and Bokuto had informed him that he was starting to take physical therapy lessons in order to slowly work up to moving his left arm again. He hadn’t been able to move his arm for the entire few weeks in order to let it heal and to lessen the bleeding as much as he could. 

The past few weeks had Akaashi pondering his feelings for Bokuto. He decided to fully and truly confirm his feelings, before he decided to make his decision on what he was going to do with them.

Kenma got along surprisingly well with his mentor, Kunimi. They had similar personalities and the work atmosphere flowed rather smoothly. Kenma was able to catch on rather quickly to the tasks he was assigned, which meant Kunimi didn’t have to spend as much time trying to teach him. It satisfied both parties very well.

It took a few months before Kunimi found out about Kenma’s feelings for Kuroo. It wasn’t intentional, in all honesty.

Perhaps Kenma spent a little too long sending lingering looks at the other man, maybe it was his unintentional gravitation to him whenever he stood in a room, or the way he opened up just that tiny bit more when Kuroo was around. 

“I hope Kuroo-san doesn’t distract you too much for this mission.” Kunimi had stated casually one day in their office. Kenma froze, trying desperately to contemplate if there was any underlying meaning behind those words.

“He won’t.” Kenma replied, his voice flat and quick, reaching to turn on the screen. 

Kunimi eyed him curiously, before snorting and continuing on with his work.

After that, the topic was never brought up again, at least not for a while. A couple of times Kuroo would come back from a mission after a mean scuffle with one of the drug customers who got into a nasty fight, and Kenma would always hover somewhere near the infirmary until Kuroo came out again.

One winter day, Kunimi and Kenma were walking in town, going to buy some things for their upcoming mission. Kenma had his hood up and scarf on, still not wanting to risk being recognized. It had been many months since he had escaped from prison along with about 50 other inmates, and although the search had gone down significantly, he didn’t want anyone to accidentally recognize him. He had grown out his hair, the colour back to its natural black colour, but other than that he was still the same person. He hadn’t gone out much at all since joining this organization.

Kunimi paused as they passed by a flower shop. The man stilled, looking thoughtfully at the snow covered sign of the store. Kenma eyed him curiously. Over several months working with this man, they got along very easily. Neither of them spoke too often, and most of the time they simply enjoyed each other’s company in a calming silence. It was a nice change of pace from the other people that Kenma was usually involved with. 

A breath of foggy air escaped Kunimi’s mouth as he turned to Kenma, “Do you mind if I buy something from here really quick?” 

“No, it’s fine.” 

Kunimi sent him a grateful nod before heading into the store. Kenma sighed leaning against the outside store wall while he waited for Kunimi to return. He pulled out his phone, swiping away at notifications and eyeing the couple of messages that Kuroo had sent him while he was out. 

It was nothing important, really. Most of them were stupid cat memes and science jokes. Kenma couldn’t help the tiny smile he hid behind the safety of his scarf as he read the messages before sending a reply. His gaze lingered on the messages for a few more seconds before he pocketed his phone, tilting his head up and squinting at his surroundings. The thick coating of snow had everything looking very bright and white. 

A few meters away he spotted a couple walking their dog in the snow, laughing at something and holding hands, leaving many footprints in their wake. To his left was a sleepy man standing at the bus stop, all bundled up and awaiting for his ride. A couple kids were trying to make snowmen in the park across the street, screaming at each other as one mischievous child decided to initiate a snowfight. 

A rush of wind passed by and a sudden shock of cold had Kenma flinching away from the source, looking up at the store roofs that had just deposited a flurry of freezing snow down his neck. He glared at the snow in annoyance, trying to shake it out of his coat.

This was why he didn’t like to go outside.

A few seconds later, the jingle of the bell at the door of the shop revealed Kunimi stepping out, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. 

White roses.

Kenma eyed them quietly, wondering what Kunimi had needed the flowers for, but didn’t say anything out loud. 

Kunimi cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down at the ground before back up at Kenma again.

“I have one more thing to do. Would you mind if I just gave this to my friend before we head back? Today is… a special day for him.” Kunimi said.

“Okay. I’m not busy today.” 

Kunimi thanked him and they got into the car and drove. Kenma gazed out the window, watching the cars pass by and the people bustle about their lives.

Getting lost in his own thoughts, he nearly missed it when they pulled into their destination.

Kenma felt his heart drop as he took in their surroundings. 

A cemetery.

The air suddenly felt deafeningly silent as Kunimi stopped the car, pausing for a second and looking at his lap before grabbing the flowers and getting out of the car.

“You’re welcome to come, I wanted to show you something anyway.” 

Kenma stiffened at those words. What could he be possibly shown at a _cemetery_? He stepped out of the car anyway, following the taller man through the numerous rows of graves that gave off an eerie feel. They stopped at one of the headstones, the winter air biting at Kenma’s skin as he shoved his hands into his pockets in an attempt to warm them.

He sucked in a silent breath as he read the name.

_Kindaichi Yuutarou_ _  
_ _1996 - 2018_

_Fly High._

Kenma felt his heart ache as he watched Kunimi gently brush the snow off the top of the headstone before placing the flowers down with the utmost care.

White roses.

_Innocence. Devotion. Silence._

Kunimi mumbled something softly under his breath to the grave, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them. He stood up, facing Kenma with pained eyes.

“This man… is very special to me,” His breath came out in an almost whisper, barely loud enough for Kenma to hear, “I loved- … I love him. He’s the love of my life.” 

“He died in a … skirmish over … something that happened in the past. I never got to tell him about how I felt. I never got the chance to have… an _us_.” Kunimi pursed his lips, turning away to wipe at a tear that was threatening to flow out, “I uh… I know you didn’t want me to bring it up last time but… About Kuroo… Don’t let him go. Take the chance, or else… you might lose him, like I did.” 

Kenma swallowed thickly, taking in Kunimi’s words. His gaze dropped down to the headstone once more, darting over to the bouquet of flowers before looking back at Kunimi. He bowed his head slightly, nodding in understanding.

“Okay, I’ll…” Kenma sucked in a breath, fingers curling and uncurling, “I’ll do that. Thanks.” 

Kunimi simply sent him a nod, a sad smile appearing on his face, before the two of them decided to head back.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs nervously* Sorry this took so long

Later that night, Kenma was seated on his bed, playing his video game console while Kuroo sat a couple feet away at the desk, typing away on his laptop.

"So, how's your day?" Kuroo asked curiously, not taking his eyes off the laptop. Kenma paused, eyes darting over to Kuroo's form before returning back to his game.

"Okay."

"Hah? Just okay? Not gonna say anything else?" Kuroo turned around and raised an eyebrow. Kenma fidgeted, thinking back to what Kunimi had told him that afternoon. He refused to meet the other man’s gaze, focusing intently on his video game. A small sigh was heard, and Kenma faintly registered the sound of the chair squeaking when Kuroo got up and walked over to the edge of the bed before flopping down beside Kenma. The bed bounced, the additional weight nearly throwing Kenma off balance.

“What are you playing?” Kuroo peered over his shoulder, and Kenma could practically feel his breath with how close he was. Not responding, he simply let out a huff when he died. Kuroo clicked his tongue in disappointment, a smile on his face. Kenma turned monotonously towards Kuroo, looking at him with an ever so slight furrow in his brow.

“Shouldn’t you head to bed soon?” 

The other man simply let out a chuckle, “what? Don’t want me around anymore?”

“It’s not that…” Kenma muttered, glancing at the bed covers for a moment. _Quite the opposite actually._ He thought to himself, “It’s just late. You’re busy tomorrow.” 

“You worried for me?” Kuroo grinned, reaching over to ruffle Kenma’s hair before standing up. Kenma scowled at him, tilting his head down, “Cute, but fine. Goodnight Kenma.” 

“Night.” He mumbled as Kuroo left the room. Sighing, he flopped backwards onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t do it. He placed his hands over his face, grumbling quietly to himself. How could he confess to Kuroo, with the chance that he could completely ruin their friendship? Not many people were able to make him feel as safe as Kuroo does. Not many people could make him feel happy, at ease, relaxed… not many people made him feel comfortable enough to be himself.

Taking a sharp inhale, Kenma decided.

Tomorrow.

He would tell Kuroo tomorrow.

  
  


\-------

  
  


The next morning, Kenma fidgeted as he ate breakfast, waiting for a chance to see Kuroo again. The man was out on an assignment for the day. Did he have anything planned out? No, not really. Anything he had tried to write out sounded too cheesy, fake, or awkward or unlike him. At this point he was just going to go with the flow for once. This was Kuroo after all, right? Surely… Hopefully, Kuroo wouldn’t let something like this get in between them.

He could ask Akaashi for advice, since he’s the only other person apart from Kunimi that knew of Kenma’s crush, but then again he was always busy training with Iwaizumi. Not to mention, who knows if that man even had any knowledge on this sort of thing? Akaashi is a serial killer after all; not the kind of person who would indulge in feelings anyway. 

Maybe he could ask Kunimi, but at the same time… he didn’t want to open up any bittersweet memories for the man. He did tell Kenma that he never actually got the chance to confess. No, he should do this himself.

He _could_ do this. 

  
  


\-------

  
  


Meanwhile, Akaashi was busy in the training room with Iwaizumi, and oddly enough, Oikawa. 

He was scheduled to have a sparring training session with Iwaizumi-san today, and when Oikawa had overheard this, he had _very enthusiastically_ offered his services to help. (More like pestered Iwaizumi until he gave in, but who was Akaashi to say anything?) 

He went along with it. After all, perhaps having a different partner would allow him to practice against different types of opponents.

After this training session, he and Bokuto were planning to have lunch together, which was always something he was looking forward to. 

“Alright Akaashi, you’ve been here for a while now. We’ve gone over most common scenarios that might happen out in the field in terms of hand to hand combat, so I want to get into weaponry combat.” Iwaizumi stated, taking off his long sleeved shirt to reveal a tank top underneath. He walked over to the far right of the room, opening a case full of prop knives of various sizes.

“Here, Oikawa." Iwaizumi tossed one of the knives at the other man, who caught it easily before taking a position on the mat. 

"I'm going to demonstrate a simple mugging scenario, which is more common in the drug and gambling sectors, but still good to know." 

After a brief introduction, Iwaizumi told Oikawa to go ahead and try to mug him. The latter grinned before lunging towards his stomach, to which Iwaizumi dodged out of the way before gripping Oikawa's wrist tightly. 

"Okay, the first thing, if you can't avoid confrontation, get control over their weapon. If you can disarm them they're going to be significantly less of a threat." Iwaizumi stated before sweeping his leg under Oikawa, causing him to lose balance and tumble to the floor, dropping the knife from the impact.. Akaashi eyed them curiously as Iwaizumi shot Oikawa a smug grin, quickly kicking the knife away from the both of them and pinning the other down, hands held tightly in his grip. Oikawa’s face contorted into a scowl at being disarmed so quickly. 

“From here you’re probably going to want to knock them out.” Iwaizumi informed, “Okay, now I want you to try against Oikawa.” He got off the other man and helped him up, “and after we do this I want to see you try and defend him while I attack both of you.” 

Akaashi stiffened slightly at the words, but nodded in agreement. It was practically common knowledge that Iwaizumi-san was one of the top if not the best close combat fighter in this organization. The man had literally grown up here and had been training practically as soon as he could walk. 

The training was pretty standard procedure though. Most of their assignments involve acting as hitmen for the organization, disposing of those who were considered a threat or refused to comply with terms, but they would also be acting as security of sorts, especially during risky business deals.

After a few rounds, they switched to a scene where both participants were armed with knives. Akaashi would be going up against Oikawa so Iwaizumi could assess his performance. 

He sucked in a breath as he was handed the prop knife. It’s been so long since he’s held a knife. Even though these were props made of nothing but plastic they look and feel so real. He watched as Oikawa licked his lips, eyes sharp and intimidating as he casually twirled the knife in hand. 

“Come at me, _Akaashi_ .” Oikawa goaded.

  
  
They received their signal to start from Iwaizumi. 

  
Contrary to their earlier rounds, Oikawa didn’t attack first this time. Both of them watched each other with rapt attention.  
  


The split second where Oikawa shifted his stance had Akaashi lunging for the open space at his flank. Oikawa let out a small chuckle as he dodged it easily, twisting his body away from the attack and facing Akaashi once more. 

“That's all you’ve got?” 

Akaashi frowned internally at the comment, a spark of irritation flowing through him as he repositioned himself, tightening his grip on the knife. This time, Oikawa attacked first, going low for his legs, to which Akaashi quickly sidestepped and kicked out his leg to shove Oikawa off balance.  
  


It sort of worked, sending the other stumbling to the side slightly, but it wasn’t enough to get him on the ground where Akaashi would be able to take control of the situation. 

“Low move. Getting a little desperate are we?” Oikawa grinned as they returned to circling each other once more, sending a prickle of annoyance down Akaashi’s spine. His face remained impassive as they continued.

Oikawa continued with the constant jabs and remarks that were somehow getting under Akaashi’s skin more than usual. 

_“Dunno why Bokuto took you in, you’re not very good at this.”_

Akaashi took a particularly clumsy stab out of irritation, allowing Oikawa to grab his wrist and flip him onto the ground, knocking the air out of him. The knife loosened in his grip enough for the other to knock it out of his hand.

It was only a split second before the knife was pressed against his throat, Oikawa looking down at him menacingly. Akaashi sucked in a shuddering breath before the expression was gone, replaced with a self-satisfied grin as Oikawa got off him. 

“I win~” Oikawa chirped smugly, heading over to wipe down the knives before putting them back. Iwaizumi came over to help Akaashi up. 

“Alright. Rule number one: don’t let your opponent get in your head.” Iwaizumi stated, crossing his arms. Akaashi felt a pang of shame as Iwaizumi looked at him with mild disappointment etched into his features. 

“Oikawa’s fighting style is manipulation, which was why I had him shut up until now. It’s irritating, isn’t it?” Iwaizumi asked, nearly being interrupted with an indignant squawk of _“Iwa-chan! How rude-”_. Akaashi stiffened slightly at a firm pat on his back, Iwaizumi sending him a reassuring smile.

“Keep working on it. Let’s wrap up for today. It’s almost lunch time anyway. Good work.” 

Akaashi took a few breaths as he helped pack up all the equipment before heading out for lunch. On his way out, he caught Oikawa’s eye as he walked with his arm around Iwaizumi’s waist. Oikawa grinned, a glint in his eye before turning around, arm subtly tightening around Iwaizumi’s waist. 

  
Rolling his eyes internally at Oikawa’s antics, Akaashi strode down the numerous hallways to meet Bokuto so they could have lunch together.  
  
When Bokuto saw Akaashi, he sent a bright grin in his direction, waving enthusiastically before jogging over to greet him, chattering endlessly about what he did that day. A small smile appeared on Akaashi’s usually impassive face as they walked towards the cafeteria.

  
  
For some reason, food always tasted the best when he ate it with Bokuto.


	23. Chapter 23

“Kuro…” 

“Kenma? What is it?” Kuroo turned around to look at Kenma before resuming getting ready. He was going out for an assignment on a drug deal with one of their regular customers. He would be meeting the customer at 2 in the morning in a quiet back alley on the far side of Tokyo. Kenma watched quietly as Kuroo slipped a gun into his gun holder. Just in case.

“... Nevermind.” Kenma muttered, his fingers playing with the hem of his sleeve as he looked down. His heart was pounding too loudly. He couldn’t do it.

“Alright then. Let me know if you change your mind, hmm?” Kuroo shot him a small reassuring smile that Kenma caught out of the corner of his eye. Exhaling, his shoulders sagged as he looked back up at Kuroo. 

He had to do this.

Trying to swallow down the lump in his throat, Kenma said, “Um… actually I want to tell you something.” 

Kuroo picked up on his nervousness, and stopped his movements to properly pay attention. He nodded for him to continue. Kenma was suddenly aware of every rustle of cloth as he shifted on the bed, and the otherwise deafening silence in the room.

_ Now or never. _

“I like you. More… than a friend.” He closed his eyes shut fearfully, too nervous to see Kuroo’s reaction.

“I like you too.” 

What?

Kenma’s eyes widened meeting Kuroo’s gaze. The latter had a small smile on his face.

“Really?” 

“Of course. Since I first met you," Kuroo's usual confident smile was replaced by a slightly nervous one, his hand coming to rest on the back of his neck, "I didn't want to make things awkward… because I really liked having you as a friend too, and I didn't want to screw things up and lose you." 

Feeling the heat creep up his face, Kenma tilted his head down, looking to the side to avoid eye contact.

“So… what now?"

“Well, ideally, I’d ask to be your boyfriend and you’d say yes.” Kuroo grinned, leaning slightly closer. Kenma rolled his eyes, looking back at Kuroo expectantly.

“Then ask me.” 

Kuroo let out a soft chuckle, standing up before placing his hand over his chest, “Kenma, I formally invite you to be my one and only boyfriend. Do you accept the proposal?” 

Kenma rolled his eyes, unable to suppress the growing smile on his face, “Yeah.” 

Kuroo snorted in amusement, “Very enthusiastic, thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

They sat in silence for a little while longer, not wanting to disturb the moment.

The sound of Kuroo’s alarm interrupted them, causing Kuroo to let out a sigh of disappointment, getting up off the bed, “Looks like I have to go now, sorry.” 

“That’s okay,” Kenma murmured, looking up at Kuroo before hesitantly reaching out to take his hand, “Stay safe.” 

Kuroo sucked in a breath, his thumb stroking over Kenma’s hand where he gently held it in his grasp, “Thank you. I’ll see you later.” 

After that, Kuroo quietly shrugged on his coat, giving Kenma one last wave and a smile, before exiting and closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Kenma flopped backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling and processing the last few moments. 

He did it. 

Curling his hand near his chest, his lips formed a smile. He couldn’t stop the giddy feeling that settled in his chest. 

He confessed. Kuroo was his boyfriend now.

It felt like a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. 

He felt lighter than the clouds.

  
  


\-------

  
  


The next morning, Kenma still couldn’t suppress the elated feeling that settled in his chest. It bled over into his work, Kunimi asking him what had him in such a good mood. With that invitation, Kenma sheepishly told the other man the good news about him and Kuroo. 

Kenma watched Kunimi’s face, the other man sending him a soft smile. Despite Kunimi’s congratulations and warm words, Kenma couldn’t help but notice the slight forlorn look in his eyes. A twinge of guilt settled in Kenma’s heart, knowing how Kunimi must be feeling. He opened his mouth, only to close it after hesitating, not knowing what to say. Instead, he reached out, placing a gentle hand on Kunimi’s arm, looking him in the eye.

“Thank you.” 

Kunimi exhaled, nodding once at Kenma, his expression nearly unreadable. 

“If there’s anything I’ve learned so far… just go for it.” He murmured, looking at the floor, “and I’m glad you did that.” 

Kenma couldn’t help the lump forming in his throat, giving Kunimi one more gentle pat on the arm before the both of them returned to their work, many thoughts on their minds.

  
  


\-------

  
  


During lunch, Kenma sat with Akaashi and Bokuto. Kuroo was still sleeping. He had returned from his mission early in the morning without incident, and had been sleeping the entire morning to regain his energy from staying up all night. 

Kenma fidgeted with his chopsticks for a couple more moments before looking up at Bokuto, who had his mouth stuffed with rice and was eagerly reaching for another piece of meat. 

“Ah- by the way, Kenma-san,” Akaashi stated, causing both people to turn to him, “congratulations on you and Kuroo-san.” 

Kenma blinked, looking at him for a moment before mumbling out a small ‘thanks’. He asked Akaashi where he had heard the news from, and the latter simply turned to look at Bokuto, who laughed nervously before addressing Kenma.

“Don’t kill me, but I told Akaashi. Kuroo told me last night and he was super hyped about it!” Bokuto explained, looking at Kenma intently. Kenma simply let out a small chuckle, sending the tiniest of smiles Bokuto’s way.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, I just wasn’t expecting you to learn of it so fast.” 

After that, lunch progressed as normal, the three of them chatting about the usual things. Well, more like Bokuto chattering on about whatever he liked, with Akaashi giving the occasional response and Kenma mostly just listening.

Akaashi got called away by Iwaizumi later on, who had an assignment for him, leaving Bokuto and Kenma by themselves for a bit. Kenma fiddled with the end of his sleeve for a moment before speaking.

"... how long has Kuroo liked me?"

"Hmm? Practically since he first saw you! You had a bit of a rough first day in prison, right? The inmates like to pick on the new meat that goes in there sometimes. Kuroo threatened everyone who tried to harm you after that, but he was too scared to actually go up to you and introduce himself." Bokuto let out a snort, crossing his arms with a bright smile on his face, "it was funny to watch him trip over his own two feet whenever he got the chance to interact with you after we met Akaashi." 

Kenma couldn't help the warm feeling that settled in his chest. He  _ did _ have a rough first day in prison. Some of the older inmates tried to gang up on him and shove him around. His height and small stature didn't help much. After that first day though, no one touched him or gave him a hard time. He had thought it odd, but figured they had just gotten bored of him or something.

Knowing that Kuroo had gone through all that effort for someone he barely even knew…

He was jostled out of his thoughts, by a sharp elbow from Bokuto, causing him to glare venomously at the other man before rubbing his side painfully. Bokuto really didn’t know his strength sometimes.

“What about you, Kenma? When did you fall for Kuroo?” 

“Um-” Kenma blinked, not knowing how to answer the question, “I- I guess a couple months after… we started talking.” 

“Ah, nice.” Bokuto hummed, looking thoughtful for a moment before he dove into a different topic, prattling on excitedly about some news he had heard the other day. Kenma internally rolled his eyes. This man could talk forever without taking a breath.

He let Bokuto keep talking as they walked through the halls to their next appointment, and for the first time in a while, he didn’t mind the endless noise of Bokuto’s voice. 


End file.
